Personal finance and entrepreneurship teacher Tony Bussone not only teaches here at North, but he also plays in multiple bands throughout the community.
Bussone has been playing the drums since a young age and after playing for a few years, it came to his realization that drumming was something he wanted to become more serious about.
“I started playing drums in the fourth grade at Woodview school, and then I continued playing. I was in the Grayslake Middle School jazz band. We also put together a little band. In high school, we didn’t have a jazz band, but I went to the College of Lake County and played in their jazz band. I then went to the University of Wisconsin Madison and auditioned for their jazz band,” Bussone said.
After years of playing, Bussone found a specific moment in his life when he realized playing the drums was something he was genuinely serious about.
“I came back from Madison after only spending a year there. I came back and spent a year at CLC and continued playing in their band. I then went to the University of Illinois Chicago studying business. I auditioned for their jazz band, and they gave me a tuition waiver, which was basically free school. So that’s when I really got a little more serious about playing,” Bussone said.
Bussone realized his love for playing drums, and has become a member of seven different bands around Lake County. He has also found a balance between working as a teacher and a band member.
“I don’t play as much as I want. If I wasn’t teaching or when I retire from teaching, I will spend substantially more time playing drums. I mean, that’s kind of my dream, you know, in a perfect world, that’s what I would do because that’s what I really love. When I’m playing music, I’m continually getting positive reinforcement, whereas teaching, it’s a tough job,” Bussone said. “So, what I do is in the summer I play a lot because I can.”