About Us

Douglas Stefaniak

Executive Director

I was born and raised in Upstate New York, and attended an inner-city school district that didn’t have the budget for music and the arts. When I was in middle school, I fell into a bad crowd and started slipping in my classes and losing touch with my family. I was fortunate enough, however, to have a music teacher that cared about me and the other students he worked with. He ran a guitar club after school, unpaid of course, where we would learn songs together or just hang out and talk. My high school music teacher was a similar type of person, and he mentored me in many different ways. If it weren’t for these two, I know my life would be very different today, and am so grateful for all that they have done for me.

Pathways Through Music means so much to me because I know the effect music can have on someone’s life. I found a way to express myself, to be passionate, and to connect with my peers. Through my teachers guidance, I was able to graduate from The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam and The University of Texas at Austin. I have been given the opportunity to play for guitarists such as Leo Brouwer, Marcin Dylla, and Martha Masters. Through this organization I hope to teach, to mentor, and to give the gift of music.

Jesse Crites

Program Director

I grew up in an educational system that was difficult for me to understand. Basic concepts in reading and writing were hard for me to grasp and I had an impossible time transferring these concepts into a real life application. Music gave me a voice, not because it came easy, but because I could understand how to communicate with it. Through music I sharpened my skills and discovered my potential. The pathway music created for me took me through an undergraduate degree in music performance from Shenandoah University and a masters degree in music performance from Roosevelt University. I was fortunate enough to study with some of our generation’s best guitarists and pedagogist such as Denis Azabagic, Berta Rojas, and Glenn Caluda.

I am excited to work for an organization like Pathways Through Music because I know the difference a quality music education can make. We are giving kids a voice, we are creating opportunities, we are sharpening skills and helping kids discover their potential.