To The Editor:

I think I speak for many that we are saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. Grasso. Our hearts reach out to his family.

Joseph Grasso was my favorite teacher at NHS. He was at the helm of the music program that was highly regarded and respected. I took pride, as did as my friends, in being a member of the band, whether it was Concert, Symphonic, Pep, Jazz, Honor and/or Marching Band. My fondest memories came from my involvement with the marching band.

The marching band was a crowd pleaser and an award-winning program when my husband, whom I got to know through being in band together, and I attended NHS in the ‘80s. Mr Grasso was always available if we needed help and he encouraged us to be the best not only in our instrument playing capability, but also working together as a team to pull off a fantastic performance during halftime shows or adjudicated band festivals.

At the time, the band was a tight knit 180-plus-member-strong program. I’ll never forget the excitement at our halftime shows hearing the awesome drum cadence, us playing in precision while executing formations, while the Color Guard waved their flags and the Markettes danced. He allowed us to be silly and creative at times and have fun, but at the same time be responsible and do our part well. Often when we were in the stands watching the games, we would cheer G, R, A….S, S, O, Grasso, Grasso, Go, Go, Go! When he heard this cheer, he would always smile and wave at us wherever he was or whatever he was doing. While I think we were invited to march in the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, Mr Grasso felt strongly that we should be at home with our families on Thanksgiving. We did, however, participate in the St Patrick’s Day Parade in New York every year.

Thanks to Mr Grasso and the NHSBPA (Newtown High School Band Parents Association, of which my parents were happily involved in), we went to exciting band festivals in Virginia Beach and Quebec, Canada. My favorite trip was to Austria, Germany, and Italy where we played in historic concert venues and visited many wonderful places.

I remember one time during concert rehearsal at NHS, we played a piece which I believe was called “Enigma Variations.” We played it and he told us that we played it perfectly and because of that, he was retiring the piece. That meant a lot.

Thank you, Mr Grasso, for giving me and my friends a happy and enriching experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Thank you for choosing me, a quiet, bullied, not-so-popular girl, to be one of your drum majors. Your belief in me bolstered my self-esteem, gave me confidence, joy, leadership skills, and a true sense of belonging.

I will never forget you. Rest in peace.

Linda Walker Uhde

Newtown