Matthew Snyder, the new BCS band teacher, brings his musical talent, inspiration, and determination to the instrumental band program. Mr. Snyder was born and raised in Lisbon, NY, which is about two hours north of Syracuse on the border of Canada. He camped and fished with his dad and spent time with his great grandparents on the lake.  As a boy, Mr. Snyder dreamed about being in the medical field, but in 9th grade he decided that he wanted to be a music teacher. He was drawn to the field by his ability play instruments and express his musicianship. After high school, he pursued his dreams and attended Ithaca College to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. He graduated in May of last year.

This young teacher hasn’t always had a job in the field of music. While at college, he had a part-time/call-in teller position at Community Bank, an employee at the instrument repair window at Ithaca College, and a substitute teacher at Lisbon Central School. This is his first full-time teaching position. Snyder is able to play a wide variety of instruments. His main instrument is saxophone. While training to be a music teacher, he learned to play all the instruments found in a traditional wind ensemble,including flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone/euphonium, tuba, and percussion.

Mr. Snyder enjoys traditional/folk country and classical/romantic/contemporary instrumental music. He also enjoys playing in saxophone quartets. He wants to bring a positive, safe and growing environment for all of his students to learn in. He hopes to continue the growth of our music program while having fun with success. He looks forward to a successful and a fantastic year and years to come. One final thing Mr. Snyder wants to share is that he is excited to become a member of the Belfast Central School family and community. His goal is to see great success for students. We welcome Mr. Matthew Snyder to our community and school!