He is an impressionist, Grammy nominee and passionate musician, but most importantly, Kevin Mazzarella is Staples’ band teacher and Jazz director. More commonly known as Kevin Mazz, he is a new addition to Staples’ staff.
Mazz has been teaching for 16 years and has experience working with young musicians. Mazz did his graduate work at UCONN for a short period, then moved on to work in Groton public schools for 10 years and later Coventry Middle School. He later connected with a group called ASPDA (The American Sports and Performance Dietitians Association) where he became familiar with the Staples community through prior band director Mr. Zimmerman.
“I’ve heard about Westport since I first started teaching and it has always been in the back of my mind as a really wonderful place to teach, with really wonderful students and really wonderful staff, ” Mazz said.
Although Mazz has found a love for music, it is not the material that continually attracts him towards teaching, but rather connections, passion and determination.
“My favorite part about teaching is connecting with students and seeing themselves emerge and develop with and through the content,” Mazz said. “Sometimes they encounter a challenge, overcome it and see themselves as a different person on the other side.”
Mazz started his job at Staples in the beginning of the 2024-25 school year and although it took adjusting, he found no trouble finding a community within Staples.
“In music I’ve been welcomed […] When I first got hired over the summer they took me out to lunch and reassured me that the transition would be smooth,” Mazz said. “The students, although they were fond of their previous director, were enthusiastic about me, welcoming me and they’re very hungry to learn.”
Although the students were fond of their previous director, they had no problem adjusting to Mazz.
“Over the summer, I was hoping that that teacher would be nice,” band student Gargi Karve ’27 said. “Over time I’ve seen how caring he is.”
Although the school year is close to finished, the music department has a lot to look forward to, including the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival, Spring Band Concert and POPS. Although the band may make these accomplishments appear easy, it takes time and dedication.
“It is intense, it’s very detail oriented, and I want to turn over every stone,” Mazz said. “ I’ve learned early into my career, to remove the ego, so asking for help and it’s always a team. The best programs are always a team.”
