Music Has Always Belonged
in Smithtown Schools
For nearly three decades, a passionate community of parents, alumni, and educators has worked together to make sure that never changes.
One Teacher's Vision. Thirty Years of Music.
In 1995, a music teacher named Lawrence Sobol saw something that needed to change. He believed that music education wasn't just enrichment it was essential. And he knew that protecting it would take more than one person. It would take a community.
So he built one. He brought together parents, alumni, and fellow educators who shared his conviction that every Smithtown student deserved access to a strong music program. From that small beginning, Friends of Music of Smithtown was born.
Today, after more than 30 years, that community is stronger than ever raising funds, advocating for programs, and showing up for students year after year.
Lawrence Sobol
A dedicated music educator with 33 years in the classroom, Lawrence believed that music programs don't just survive on passion they survive on community. He was right. And what he started continues to make a difference in Smithtown schools every single year.
Lawrence Sobol
Founder, Friends of Music of Smithtown
Lawrence Sobol
Lawrence Sobol spent 33 years teaching in the Smithtown schools. In that time, he didn't just teach students how to play music he showed an entire community what it meant to fight for it. In 1995, he founded Friends of Music of Smithtown so that fight would outlast any one person, any one budget cycle, or any one school year.
The recipient of a Ford Foundation grant to study at the Peabody Conservatory, Mr. Sobol later earned his degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. He performed extensively throughout America and Europe as a soloist, in recital, and in chamber music programs, and spent over four decades recording and collaborating with America's leading composers including Virgil Thomson, David Diamond, Karel Husa, Ned Rorem, William Schuman, and Alan Hovhaness.
His productions have featured Ornette Coleman, Jessye Norman, Richie Havens, Luciano Pavarotti, and Richard Tucker, among others. He has served as Associate Professor of Clarinet at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College and SUNY Purchase, and has lectured and performed at Purdue University, Cornell University, the Peabody Conservatory, and the University of Miami.
As Alan Hovhaness wrote: "Lawrence Sobol is not only an outstanding artist on the clarinet, but also a remarkable musician... He has great vitality and profound expressiveness."
We exist to make sure that every student in Smithtown has access to a music education regardless of budget cycles, funding cuts, or economic circumstance.
Friends of Music of Smithtown is an independent booster organization made up of parents, alumni, and educators. We are not a school district program we are the community that wraps around the schools to fill the gaps, fund the extras, and fight for what matters.
How We Support Music in Smithtown
Every program we run, every grant we award, every event we host it all comes back to one goal: keeping music alive and accessible for every Smithtown student.
Students in grades 4-8 keep their skills sharp all summer with Friends of Music funded instruction. Because music doesn't take a vacation.
We put instruments in young hands early. Every 3rd grader in Smithtown gets their first experience playing music and we help make that possible for every family.
We award scholarships to graduating seniors who have been active members of Friends of Music. A way of saying: your dedication to music matters, and we're investing in your future.
Smithtown music educators can apply for grants to fund classroom projects that go beyond what school budgets allow. Thousands of dollars have been awarded directly to enrich music curriculums.
From our annual Jazz Dinner to merchandise sales and community gatherings, we bring Smithtown families together around music and raise the funds that make everything else possible.
When music programs are at risk, we speak up. Friends of Music of Smithtown unites the community to ensure music and arts remain strong and visible in every school.
Our Board of Directors
Every one of our board members is a volunteer a parent, a community member, or an educator who gives their time because they believe music matters.
Interested in joining the board or volunteering? Reach out and we'd love to have you.
Come to a Meeting
Our meetings are open to every member of the community. Whether you want to stay informed, volunteer, or just see how you can help you are welcome at the table.
No experience required. Just a love of music and a belief that Smithtown students deserve the best.
Meeting Information
Smithtown Central School District Administration Building
Entrance is around the back
Ready to Be Part of the Story?
Thirty years of music education doesn't happen by accident. It happens because people like you choose to show up. Join us as a member, a donor, or a volunteer.