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Crane Alumni Board Honors Lamson with Music Teaching Award
07.22.10
The SUNY Potsdam Julia E. Crane Alumni Association recently honored Guy “Chip” Lamson III, a member of the Class of 1981, with the 2010 Helen M. Hosmer Excellence in Music Teaching Award at the College’s annual Reunion Weekend.
The Helen M. Hosmer Excellence in Music Teaching Award is presented each year to an alumnus or alumna in public school music education who has demonstrated exemplary service in any of the areas of choral, instrumental or general music education.
Guy C. Lamson III, better known as “Chip,” embodies the qualities of a music teacher that Helen Hosmer wanted all of her students to have. Lamson is the essence of what a great artist-teacher should be, having had a tremendous impact on the lives of the hundreds of students he taught in his 30-year career as a music teacher at Massena Central High School.
While Lamson has retired from public school teaching, he now instructs and accompanies at the Crane School of Music. In retirement, he remains active as a coach, collaborative pianist, blues musician and choral and orchestral conductor.
Lamson’s former students consider him to be a natural leader and incredible musician. A master teacher, Lamson is loved and respected by both his students and fellow faculty.
“It is one thing to teach music in the classroom. It is another thing to live the arts on a daily basis. Music is not just Chip’s job; it’s his life’s passion,” reads the citation honoring him.
For years, Lamson has played the piano for everything from choruses, to musicals, jazz combos, NYSSMA solos, and even to the popular Conrad Story Blues Band.
Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 100 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training, and leadership in the performing and visual arts.