Westerly, Rhode Island, is a long way from New Orleans. But the physical distance has not stopped David DeAngelis, choral director at Westerly High School, from providing his students with one heck of a lesson: The opportunity to truly connect with others through music. Under DeAngelis' direction, Westerly's various vocal ensembles have held concerts for the past three years to benefit a New Orleans school devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The experience has been both gratifying and humbling, and it culminated in May 2009 with a group visit to the Crescent City to meet the staff and students at the school and to perform together. DeAngelis has been a fixture at Westerly for the past 28 years. He came to the school out of college as a long-term substitute, and has been there ever since. DeAngelis, who studied music education at Rhode Island College, has made a point of modeling his teaching style after the high school music teacher who guided him as a student in Smithfield, Rhode Island. This article presents a question and answer session with DeAngelis.