Monroe 2025-26 Teacher of the Year Michael Ances with his instrument of choice, the trumpet.

It’s hard to believe that the beloved music teacher who has impacted countless students from multiple generations at virtually every school (except one) in Monroe, Connecticut, started as a Political Science major. Fortunately for all the students’ lives he’s enhanced through music classes and as a band director and music educator, his political aspirations were short-lived after a trip to Washington, D.C., as a college sophomore left him disillusioned with the political process.

“I wanted to make the world a better place, which is why I wanted to go into politics,” said Mike Ances, Monroe’s 2025-26 Teacher of the Year. “But what I saw in D.C. made me reconsider what I wanted to do with my life, and I came back to campus at UConn and visited my adviser about possibly changing my major. He asked me about what I love to do, and I told him I love music since I’ve been playing trumpet since I was around 10 years old, and I love working with kids at summer camp and teaching them how to sail — something I’ve also been involved with for a long time. My adviser looked at me and said ironically, ‘If only there was a job where you could do music and work with kids.’”

Already well into his sophomore year, Ances changed majors to join the five-year music education program. After receiving his B.A. in Music and B.S. in Music Education, Ances was hired by the Monroe School District as a music teacher in 1997. By spring of his first year as a teacher, he had his first interaction with the Music Department at Western Connecticut State University.

Michael Ances enjoying his other favorite thing — sailing.

“My first encounter with the WCSU Music Department was at the Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA) Western Regional Middle School Music Festival,” Ances said. “It was my first year teaching, and I brought some of my students to CMEA, which was being hosted by WCSU. It was there that I met trombonist Dr. Fernando Jimenez and choral director Dr. Kevin Isaacs, as well as other members of the department, including Musical Arts Assistant Laura Piechota, who was responsible for staffing the festival with WCSU music students, among other things.”

Within a few years, Ances began serving as a jazz band director at WCSU’s Summer Music Camp, a role he enjoyed for a decade. “It was another great experience, and a great opportunity for me because it enabled me to help students develop their skills in a fun environment over the summer,” he said. “During those 10 years, I got to see students whom I had taught in middle school come back to camp as high school performers, and as college students working the festival or even some who had already graduated from WCSU and were now music teachers around Connecticut.”

Michael Ances served as a chaperone with the Macy’s Great American Marching Band at the 2023 Macy’s Parade.

When the 10-year time limit on his Provisional Educators Certificate that he received when he earned his bachelor’s degrees in 1995 was drawing near, Ances knew he had to go back to get his master’s degree. For him, the choice was clear: after all the great experiences he had had with the Music Department, he knew he would pursue his Master’s in Music Education at WCSU. “The program was perfect for my needs,” he said. “I lived in Southbury and worked in Monroe, so it was close. The class schedule worked with my teaching schedule, and the cost was not only reasonable, it was well worth the money. Plus, I already knew the facilities, which at the time were on the Midtown campus in White Hall, were fantastic. Of course, there is the beautiful Visual and Performing Arts Center now, but it wasn’t there then.”

Once he received his Master of Music Education in 2006, Ances’ interaction with WCSU continued. “As a Connecticut music teacher, you can become a certified mentor and host student music teachers in your classroom,” Ances explained. “I’ve mentored at least a dozen from WCSU, and they are some of the absolute best and are very well prepared. I’m impressed with their teaching ability and musical skill level.”

During the 2025-26 school year, Ances will primarily teach at Masuk High School, but since he is also the District Music Coordinator, he’ll be making the rounds at all of Monroe’s schools. And of course, his connection to WCSU will continue with the High School Honors Music Festival. “This is the latest way the university has created an opportunity for students to get together and make music,” he said. “The high schoolers get to see and interact with the WCSU music students who are working at the event. It’s quite remarkable, and it’s in high demand and always sells out. The premise is that we don’t want to make music an elitist thing — we want music for everybody. Not everyone can afford private lessons. We don’t want barriers, we want to create opportunities for everyone, so this is a teacher-recommended festival, not one that relies on auditions to eliminate students.”

Michael Ances holding his crystal apple Teacher of the Year Award with his wife, Leigh, and sons Spencer (left) and Hunter (right).

An extension of his desire to make music accessible for everybody can be seen in how his career has played out. Because of his lengthy tenure in Monroe and assignments at so many of the community’s schools, Ances said he’s had the privilege of teaching multiple students from the same family, and having students in his classroom during their elementary, middle school, and high school years. “At every age level, they’re great and full of joy,” he said. “There are students I started with when they were in 6^th grade and I literally taught them in high school as well. Some students, I have taught seven years in a row. One family has five children, and I have been teaching members of that family for 15 years! It’s really special that I am afforded that opportunity.”

In fact, several of those who nominated Ances for the Teacher of the Year Award are parents whom he taught many years ago whose children are his students now. After almost three decades teaching music in Monroe, Ances has countless memories of parades he and his students have participated in, and pit orchestra performances at Masuk High School, including a recent musical that was nominated for a Sondheim Award.

“WCSU is really a big piece of my total network,” Ances said. “You can’t throw a stone in Connecticut without hitting a WCSU music alum. I’m a huge proponent, and I definitely had really good experiences there.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals, and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.