Students (past and present), colleagues, friends and family of Rocky Point Elementary Music Teacher and Department Chairperson Craig Knapp recently packed the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEOHF) to honor the 2024 ‘Educator of Note’ winner. The ceremony took place at LIMEHOF’s museum location in Stony Brook, NY at 97 Main Street. The event featured three musical performances by current and former students, live and video-recorded speeches from colleagues, a video presentation about Knapp’s career, and a special citation presentation by New York State Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio.

“The Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame is thrilled to honor Craig Knapp with the ‘Educator of Note’ Award and to recognize his extraordinary dedication, innovation, and profound impact on countless students and on music education in our community,” said LIMEHOF Vice Chairman Tom Needham, who manages LIMEHOF’s education programs.

“I am absolutely honored to be inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame as the 2024 recipient of their ‘Educator of Note,’ said Knapp. “To be included on the list of past honorees—many of whom I have worked with collaboratively in a variety of music education organizations, committees, conferences, and initiatives—is both gratifying and humbling. I am very proud that I carved out a successful career in a rather unconventional and unique way.”

Mike Rodgers, LIMEHOF Educational Committee Member and Director of Music and Performing Arts in the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District, served as emcee of the event. Live speakers included Amy Schecher, Music Department Chair from Rocky Point School District; fifth grade student Emma Wurm; Dr. Anthea Jackson, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York (MYO); and Jodi Giglio, New York State Assemblywomen. There were also recorded messages from colleagues who included Dr. Doreen Fryling, Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (MYO) Concert Choir Director.

“I thought today’s event was absolutely beautiful, particularly the students, who were the highlight of it,” said Rodgers. “Not only to see the work that was done but the reflection from the students themselves.”

Current and former students honored Knapp with special musical performances. These included Rocky Point students Serena Carley and Olna Carley, followed by MYO Treble Choir students Nate Drinkwater and Andrew Nagle. Grace Donofrio, a former student of Knapp’s—and now a music teacher in Deer Park—sang Georges Bizet’s Carmen, accompanied by pianist Sara Ruggerio. “Mr. Knapp is one of the most inspiring people and most deserving people of this kind of award,” said Donofrio. “He inspires me to be a music teacher, and I hope that I can be half of him one day as I learn and grow and continue in my career.”

Former student Julia Brandow traveled in from out of town—driving for over five hours to honor Knapp.

“Once he told me this was happening, I had to come—it was like ‘no question,’” Brandow said. “He has done so much for us. The least I could do was be here today for him. Music is the biggest thing in my life and he 100% is the foundation for that.”

Music teacher Desiree DeMelfi—herself a 2019 LIMEHOF Scholarship recipient—also spoke. She nominated Knapp, who served as her mentor when she began her music teaching career.

“Craig has always wanted me to be the best music teacher and course director I could be,” said DeMelfi. “The impact of a true educator and mentor is evident from my story alone. Craig saw an opportunity to guide a young student from the same town he grew up in. He acted as a leader and decided to give me the best student teaching experience possible.”

With an impressive career that spans 27 years on Long Island, Craig Knapp is the 18th music teacher recognized by LIMEHOF since the establishment of the ‘Educator of Note’ Award in 2007. This award recognizes exceptional teachers who demonstrate a commitment to music education, play an active role in the community, and have a considerable influence on the lives of music students of all backgrounds and abilities.

Craig Knapp is the Director of the Nassau and Suffolk Treble Choirs of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York, Elementary Classroom Music Specialist and Choral Director in the Rocky Point Public School District, former Adjunct Assistant Professor at Hofstra University, former Director of the Early Childhood Community Music Program at Stony Brook University, music educator, guest conductor, clinician, folk dance leader, and author. He says of all his accomplishments, the most significant honor to him is the lasting influence he has had on his students.

“I have the luckiest job in the world as I get to wake up every Monday morning and make music with incredible children,” Knapp said. “Of all that I have achieved—more important than any accolades I could receive, books I could publish, guest conducting opportunities I could receive, invitations to present at professional development conferences, or performances I direct—my greatest accomplishment, and what I’m most proud of, is that students still come to visit me decades later to tell me that I was their favorite teacher and to thank me for the positive impact I had on their lives. What could be better than that?”

For more information about the LIMEHOF ‘Educator of Note’ Award, visit https://www.limusichalloffame.org/educator-of-note/

About LIMEHOF

Founded in 2004, the Long Island Music Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the idea that Long Island’s musical and entertainment heritage is an important resource to be celebrated and preserved for future generations. The organization, which encompasses New York State’s Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and Kings (Brooklyn) Counties, was created as a place of community that inspires and explores Long Island music and entertainment in all its forms. In 2022, LIMEHOF opened its first Hall of Fame building location in Stony Brook Village. To date, the organization has inducted more than 130 musicians and music industry executives, and offers education programs, scholarships, and awards to Long Island students and educators.