Image of high school band

As part of National Nursing Home Week, the well-known St. Joseph’s band, comprised of 160 students up to the 8th grade (including special needs children), will perform for seniors and disabled adults at the St. Barnabas Rehabilitation & Continuing Care Center on Thursday, May 12th at 2:30 p.m. in the Sycamore Grove (located behind the St. Barnabas Rehabilitation & Continuing Care Center, Third Avenue & 182nd Street, Bronx).

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Bronx school’s band. Under the direction of Ed Ornowski, the 160-member band is the only all-inclusive middle school band in the Northwest/South Bronx Region whereby every student from 5th through 8th grade is featured.  The band and, by extension the entire music program, enhances students’ focus, motivation, discipline, self-confidence and cognitive skills. Receiving both individual and group instruction (provided by the Paul Effman Music Service), students learn to play not only an instrument, but to rely on each other, working as a team while expressing their individual talents. The result of this blend of artistry and cooperation is a community that best exemplifies the positivity and joyful momentum of St. Joseph School.

The St. Barnabas Rehabilitation & Continuing Care Center is a long-term care facility situated on the 10-acre campus of SBH Health System. Its mission is to enhance and enrich the lives of the elderly through comprehensive services designed to meet individual needs. In addition to long-term geriatric care, the center includes an Adult Day Health Care Program.