Patrick Cerria is a music educator, researcher, author, and speaker who helps teachers, administrators, and school therapists reimagine and expand the role of music in their school. As a graduate of Dalcroze Eurythmics from the Juilliard School, speaker, and author of “Finding the Flow,”  Patrick is passionate about how music can support students and teachers. He teaches every imaginable student population, including students on the Autism spectrum, those classified as at-risk, those with behavioral and/or emotional classifications, physically and/or developmentally disabled, and typically developing.

Your WHY

My WHY is twofold. I love music. It is further leveraged within education to support students and teachers.

Your Background

I was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, which (if you don’t already know) is the birthplace of Frank Sinatra. I was baptized in the same font as Frank! I lived a stereotypical New Jersey life, raised by an Italian father and an Irish mother. Our house was always engulfed in music because my father listened to a very eclectic collection that included jazz, classical, Broadway cast recordings, pop, rock, opera, country, and folk music. My father also played a little guitar, and in the summer months, I would sit outside on our little patio after dinner and strum his guitar and sing folk songs. 

If I’m being honest, my school experience was pretty terrible. Mind you, I was a good student academically until the fourth grade, but then I began to struggle. The catalyst of my struggles was math. I have since realized that learning math is like building a Lego set: If you miss one piece, the whole build gets messed up. That’s what happened to me and math. I missed a piece, and it messed me up until the day I barely graduated from high school. I often tell people that I was a “less than atrocious” student in school because to refer to myself merely as “atrocious” affords me too much credit. School was just a struggle for me. 

I wrote my senior thesis in college on teacher training, even though I wasn’t an education major. My advisor asked me why I chose this topic. I said, “It’s just something that’s always fascinated me”. He told me it was a good topic and then said, “I want you to sum up your time in school for me in one word. Say it NOW!” Then he clapped his hands. The first word I blurted out was “Uncomfortable!” That word “Uncomfortable” sums it up.

I never felt comfortable in school. I always felt out of place.

How did you come to love music in school?

The music room was my salvation. It was the only reason I went to school. I would physically walk into the building and then do nothing all day except in the music room. I loved band, jazz band, music theory, and chorus. My band and chorus teachers in the 5th and 6th grade were two of the kindest and most patient individuals I’ve ever met. They made me feel smart. I had a massive crush on my chorus teacher, Miss Dellavale. She was French and always dressed so chic, but she was also a great teacher and had us sing different songs and pieces. In 6th grade, she told me to try out for the school play…so I did. I got one of the lead roles. It was a comedic role. When I got up on stage and heard the audience laugh, it was the first time in my life that I felt relevant.