There are three surefire things that can make this emotionally stunted dude cry: 1) The series finale of "Six Feet Under." 2) Those ASPCA commercials clearly shot by emotional terrorists. (At least they stopped bombarding me with that goddamn Sarah McLachlan song.) And 3) whenever a contestant on "Jeopardy!" earnestly thanks a childhood teacher. The full-circle nature of an adult remembering someone from their youth who inspired them hits me right in the ol' blood pump. I imagine some retired chemistry teacher watching the show, seeing their former student chatting up host Ken Jennings and murmuring to themselves, "See? They weren't all little bastards." Perhaps I react so emotionally because I didn't really have that teacher. I went to a public school in North Carolina, a dumpster fire for public education. (The state ranked 49th in education funding in 2024, marking a tradition of disdain for learning that goes way, way back.) In my "Jeopardy!" fantasy (where I win for a month straight and go into the Tournament of Champions with savage momentum), when Jennings asks me about inspiring teachers, I skip my school experiences and go straight to a wonderful procession of guitar and music instructors. While I didn't find much inspiration in the classroom, the minute I was out of school and sitting with an instrument in my hand, everything changed — the world was there to be discovered. That experience isn't lost on me, especially as commitment to music education in schools has waned. The National Assessment of Educational Programs in the Arts reports that exposure to the arts has steadily declined since 1997. More than 3.6 million American students have no access to music education. That fact alone would be the fourth thing to make me cry — if it weren't for educators such as Pete Cornell. Formerly based in New York, the multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and educator moved to Vermont last year, intent on starting his own school. The New York University grad had been teaching privately and at schools such as the Long Ridge Music Center and the Madison School of Rock in Connecticut, but after his sister moved to Stowe during the pandemic, he got an idea. "She mentioned to me that she didn't see any afterschool music programs in the area," Cornell told me over Zoom from his home in Morrisville. "So I did a little research and saw that, sure…