There are three surefire things that can make this emotionally stunted dude cry: 1) The series finale of “Six Feet Under.” 2) Those ASPCA commercials clearly shot by emotional terrorists. (At least they stopped bombarding me with that goddamn Sarah McLachlan song.) And 3) whenever a contestant on “Jeopardy!” earnestly thanks a childhood teacher.
The full-circle nature of an adult remembering someone from their youth who inspired them hits me right in the ol’ blood pump. I imagine some retired chemistry teacher watching the show, seeing their former student chatting up host Ken Jennings and murmuring to themselves, “See? They weren’t all little bastards.”
Perhaps I react so emotionally because I didn’t really have that teacher. I went to a public school in North Carolina, a dumpster fire for public education. (The state ranked 49th in education funding in 2024, marking a tradition of disdain for learning that goes way, way back.)
In my “Jeopardy!” fantasy (where I win for a month straight and go into the Tournament of Champions with savage momentum), when Jennings asks me about inspiring teachers, I skip my school experiences and go straight to a wonderful procession of guitar and music instructors. While I didn’t find much inspiration in the classroom, the minute I was out of school and sitting with an instrument in my hand, everything changed — the world was there to be discovered.
That experience isn’t lost on me, especially as commitment to music education in schools has waned. The National Assessment of Educational Programs in the Arts reports that exposure to the arts has steadily declined since 1997. More than 3.6 million American students have no access to music education. That fact alone would be the fourth thing to make me cry — if it weren’t for educators such as Pete Cornell.
Formerly based in New York, the multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and educator moved to Vermont last year, intent on starting his own school. The New York University grad had been teaching privately and at schools such as the Long Ridge Music Center and the Madison School of Rock in Connecticut, but after his sister moved to Stowe during the pandemic, he got an idea.
“She mentioned to me that she didn’t see any afterschool music programs in the area,” Cornell told me over Zoom from his home in Morrisville. “So I did a little research and saw that, sure enough, there wasn’t, nor had there been in some time.”
So Cornell moved to the Green Mountains, founding Peak Music, a school, recording studio, rehearsal and performance space, and community hub for the Stowe-area music scene.
While opening a private music school in one of the wealthiest towns in Vermont doesn’t exactly reverse the stats on declining music education in schools, Cornell believes he and his team of instructors can eventually help fill that void.
“My purpose of being here is to bring something to this community that I think it sorely needs,” he said. “With the state of school programs being what they are, it’s up to us to offer programming that is both unique and compelling to would-be students.”
To that end, Cornell has made songwriting and recording two of Peak’s biggest offerings. He knows the average student can still pick up an oboe and participate in the school band, but Cornell wants to teach kids to take their instrument of choice and express themselves — to write music and then record it, on their own or with friends. He hopes to inspire local kids to supplement their school music programs with what they learn at Peak and become complete musicians, capable of making records and, most importantly, playing with other local young musicians they meet along the way.
“Learning by yourself can be great, but it’s not really music until you’re with other people,” Cornell asserted. “Music is a language, a way for us to communicate with one another on higher levels.”
Cornell and his staff teach their charges in ways that ensure collaboration. For instance, in his Foundations of Music class for beginners ages 6 to 9, students hardly touch an instrument, working instead on concepts of rhythm, melody, harmony and dynamics.
“Once we establish that, we start to cycle them through instruments,” Cornell explained. Kids learn basic scales and chords on keyboards and how beats work on a drum kit. Along the way, staff ask the students which instrument feels natural and which one they have the most fun playing. Together, they figure out the best way forward.
When he launched Peak, Cornell had lofty ideas for specialized programs such as Jazz Studies, Advanced Performance and Advanced Composition. But due to minimal music education in area schools and a dearth of afterschool programs, he soon realized he would have to start more simply.
“What I discovered was that, whether they are 6 or 16, the students in the Stowe area have had very little, if any, music education,” Cornell said. “So we decided to focus on the basics, create a foundation and start progressing from there.”
One reason students in Stowe might not spend enough time with music is the plethora of outdoor activities available to kids who live at the foot of a mountain and ski resort. George Walker Petit, a jazz guitarist who also spearheads the annual Stowe Jazz Festival in the summer, has sympathy for Cornell and any teacher competing with Vermont kids’ love of the outdoors.
“People don’t really come to Stowe for their kids to learn music,” Petit said. “It’s more about if they’re good at skiing and can get a scholarship to Dartmouth. The local programs have always been lacking in that sense.”
Petit is encouraged by Cornell’s work at the school.
“What they’re doing at Peak is really altruistically driven,” he said. “They’re trying to make a difference and bring something crucial to the community. As soon as they moved in, I was pretty damned pleased.”
Cornell’s main directive to his teachers is that the students should enjoy themselves. In a community where sports offer stiff competition for kids’ attention, he knows how important it is that Peak is a fun place to be.
Ensuring that kids have fun while learning informed his search for Peak’s faculty, which Cornell admitted was the most difficult aspect of starting the school. While he has been impressed by the Vermont music scene, he quickly learned that many of its musicians are in Burlington.
“Getting musicians to drive 45 minutes up a mountain in the winter to teach for three hours isn’t the easiest sell,” he admitted with a laugh.
His friend and manager Brandon Terzakis, a drummer who previously played with metal act Fórn, moved up with Cornell to start Peak and teaches drum lessons. He also serves as studio coordinator. From there, they recruited local musician instructors, including multi-instrumentalist Avery Cooper (the Discussions, Chicken Fat Injection), guitarist Will Downey, and jazz vocalist and keyboard instructor Rachel Ambaye, as well as out-of-town teachers such as Boston singer-songwriter Ava Dudani. The school has 10 instructors, including Cornell. In the first eight months of its existence, 85 students have enrolled.
As Peak moves into its second year, Cornell is pleased with the impact the school has had but dreams of bigger collaborations. He hopes to further connect Peak with local schools and offer more programs, a relationship that has already begun to bear fruit — Peak is offering spring break camps for students. He also hopes the school becomes immersed in the local music scene, of which he thinks highly.
“It just feels like the community is excited we’re here, so we’re just excited to keep building bonds,” Cornell said.
Registration for classes and summer camps is open now at peak-music.com. Prices range from $50 per private lesson to $37 per week for introductory classes such as Foundations of Music. Other subjects include the Creative Composition Workshop, which has Cornell particularly jazzed.
“If you can get those juices flowing in kids, that feeling of being creative, they can really surprise you with what comes out of them,” he said. “Watching them write a song and learn how to record it is by far my favorite thing about what we do.”
This article appears in Jan 22-28, 2025.
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