Cedar Park Construction Workers Serenaded While They Work

CEDAR PARK, TX — Construction workers rebuilding the Austin skyline are often part of the background in our harried lives, abstract figures we pass by without nary a thought about the humanity behind the brisk building activity.

Not so in Cedar Park, where ground has been broken for the second Orpheus Academy of Music at 3109 Kenia Dr., and its instructors take turns serenading construction crews building the structure. The local music school focuses on developing innovative approaches in teaching classical music to students of all ages, and are indirectly imparting important lessons in treating others — mainly the construction workers building the school.

On a weekly basis, teachers from the developing school entertain the construction crew building the new location while inviting the musically inclined among them to join in. Faculty member Jesse Crites played last Friday, prompting one worker to pick up the guitar himself.

On Friday, Douglas Stefaniak, classical guitar teacher on faculty at Orpheus Academy of Music, is scheduled to entertain the work crews at 12:30 p.m. Stefaniak said he believes in the power of music to inspire and transform lives, having discovered the guitar at the age of 13.

The construction crew is in for a treat, as Stefaniak is no slouch at the guitar, having graduated with merit from the Crane School of Music, under the direction of Dr. Douglas Rubio. Additionally, he has studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire, and played in master classes with artists such as Marcin Dylla and Martha Masters.

Stefaniak now lives locally, where he attends the University of Texas at Austin under the direction of Adam Holzman, and occasionally serenades construction workers.