Pentucket Regional School District Alumni Share Industry Experiences with Music Students 

Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and Fine & Performing Arts Department Chair David Schumacher are pleased to share that alumni Jon Hayes visited music classes to perform his music and teach students about songwriting. 

Hayes (’14) is the latest of four different guests, most of whom are connected to PRHS, to visit Beat Lab, Guitar, and choir students and provide students with valuable insight into the music industry. 

Hayes is an alternative singer and songwriter. Since graduating, he has written several original songs and has toured and performed across the Midwest and Northeast. During his visit to PRHS, Hayes gave students a lesson in songwriting and performed a few of his original songs. 

Earlier guests in the semester included “Astronoid” band members Brett Boland (’07) and Casey Aylward (’07), beat-maker Ryan Spellman, brother of alum Bobby Spellman (’06) and North Shore singer/songwriter duo Susan Levine and Doug Kwartler. 

Boland and Aylward, who spent the summer on tour with “Blink-182”, spoke to students about their experience establishing a band and touring internationally. They also discussed their early struggles in learning guitar, which allowed guitar students to feel validated in their learning processes. 

Spellman used his experience as a beat-maker to teach Beat Lab students tips and tricks for composing beats. Spellman, who produces beats under the artist name “Just Steezy Things,” has accumulated more than 350,000 followers on social media and 15 million streams on Spotify. 

Levine and Kwartler, who make up the folk band “The Lied-To’s,” taught students how to use intuition to write music. 

“Working with alumni and local artists is a vital means of connecting with our community and inspiring our students to pursue their creative passions,” said Schumacher. “It humanizes their work because they hear how the challenges they face are shared by those working professionally.”

Many of these guests, as well as new guests, will visit music classes during the spring semester, providing a new group of students with the same opportunities. 

“The alumni connection helps students realize that their pursuits are accessible, since that alum once sat exactly where the current student sits,” said Schumacher. “It also allows alumni to give back to the program in a self-perpetuating cycle of mentorship.”