After growing up on Long Island and spending my formative years on the beaches of LB, in the bars of the West End and under the boardwalk...my wife and I finally realized our dream of living at the beach. We bought our first house and moved to LB three years ago this Christmas. Little did we know what awaited us...

While the last three weeks have been an experience that we'll never forget, it has also shown the strength, resolve and sense of community that the residents of LB embody. The morning after the storm our block sprang into action and began to mobilize. We took care of each other, looked after each other and helped each other...not unlike the lot of a Phish show. If this natural disaster has shown anything, it's that as individuals we are really a collective. We need each other more than we'll ever realize or admit.

This is a great sign of what will hopefully soon be in Long Beach schools and throughout the region. Music is the great equalizer and the purest form of human expression. It makes us laugh, cry and everything in between.