The accordion community came together at the Massachusetts Accordion Association (MAAA) June 28 meeting to honor Sam Falcetti–renowned accordionist, musical pioneer, conductor, professor, competition judge, and founder of Falcetti Music. The heartfelt musical afternoon included an open mike with the theme “Songs Sam Taught You” and presentation of a special award.

Welcoming everyone, Tony Marini, MAAA President, observed that “Today is Sam Falcetti Day,” while noting that Sam remains very active in the accordion world, teaching more than 30 students ages 10-75 years old who come from throughout New England for their lessons. Sam also leads the New England Digital Accordion, which performs on August 1 from 6:00-7:30 pm as part of the Mount Carmel 90th Italian Festival, 93 Park Avenue, Enfield, CT.

A native of Wilbraham, MA, Sam began playing accordion at the age of 10. He graduated from University of Hartford with a bachelor’s degree in theory and composition, and during the 1970s and ‘80s was an adjunct professor at Holyoke Community College and Westfield State University. His accordion college ensemble performed twice at Carnegie Hall. He was the conductor and founder of the Springfield Accordion Orchestra, which performed at the World’s Fair in Japan in 1970, the David Frost Show with Roberta Flack, and the Coupe Mondiale in New Zealand in 1980, among many other prestigious appearances.

As founder of Falcetti Music, a full-line music store in Massachusetts, Sam provides Roland V Accordion sales, service, and instruction and is the distributor for all of New England. In October 2011, Sam represented the US as a judge at the 5th Roland International Festival in Rome. In April 2013 Sam conducted the first digital accordion orchestra in the country, which featured 20 Roland accordion players from across New England, at the Accordion Teachers Association of Massachusetts annual festival. (You can see and hear the orchestra on YouTube.)

Performing during the meeting’s open mike session, which was themed Songs Sam Taught Us, Jim Avedisian dedicated his vocal-and-Roland performance of “On the Road Again” to Sam, then demonstrated the Roland’s versatility with renditions of “Love Me Tender“ and “La Vie en Rose.“ Carmen D’Angelo, who also performed during the open mike, commented, “I’ve been playing a Roland for about one year. It takes a lifetime! I’ve been working with Sam, trying to master the thing. I’m trying to do a little more with the bass than what we grew up with. It’s a lot of fun and a lot of challenges.”

Saluting his colleague and friend at the MAAA celebration, Paul Monte recalled co-founding the Massachusetts Accordion Teachers Association with Sam, who he described as “A great teacher and performer, a great guy and pal of mine. Sam has played the whole gamut of the accordion, from the acoustic to the Roland.”

Accepting his award, Sam remarked, “This is a great day for me. All through life, alI I needed was to have a goal. I wasn’t seeking recognition–my purpose was to do my job. In 1952, when I was a senior at Hartford College, I opened up my store. Three years later I had 450 students.”

He also recounted when and why he became an enthusiast of the Roland digital accordion. “I realized the Roland is a different kind of instrument. It can sound like any kind of orchestra you want. I had conducted major accordion orchestras, and now I had strings and oboes. We are embarking on a new instrument. You can put it on a memory stick and everyone can take it home and practice. You can change the key so it suits the singer. I can’t wait for the day the accordion becomes popular again. MAAA, keep up the good work!”

Don McMahon spoke on behalf of all MAAA in his keynote, which is reproduced here with Don’s permission. “At age 13, after 5 years of accordion lessons, I was ready to quit music, but a friend suggested I give it one last try at a newly opened studio, the Indian Orchard Accordion Center. During my first visit, I immediately knew there was something different about this studio. The 26 year-old owner told me about the many group performances he had planned throughout the year, the wide variety of instructional material he offered, the AccordioPhonic Octet that I would audition for, and the individualized course of study he would use. This meant that I could learn more about playing in a band, plus a healthy dose of exercises, theory, and repertoire. I was sold. The year was 1960, and the young teacher was Anselmo “Sam” Falcetti.

“It didn’t take long to realize that Sam’s brain was always cranking out new ways to expand the business, motivate the students, improve the level of instruction, and create a ‘home away from home’ atmosphere where the students could interact both musically and socially. On the business end, Sam was already planning the next market to tap and expansion to new locations. As we know, Sam could sell umbrellas in the Sahara, bikinis in Siberia, and accordions to everybody else. Then one of his customers said ‘If you really have pride in your business, you would put your own name on it’ and so it became the Falcetti Accordion Center.

“Motivating students was a priority for Sam, so he formed an organization of parents to assist in the efforts. Between Sam, his wife Peggy, and the Parents Club’s support and fundraising, they found local, national, and international venues in Italy, Japan, and New Zealand for the orchestras to perform at, and even a spot on the nationally televised David Frost Show.

“Sam and Peggy were also founding members of the Accordion Teachers’ Association of Massachusetts (ATAM), using participation in the yearly competitions to motivate students and improve their performance skills. To increase my personal motivation, Sam used to take me to local venues to hear and meet the top jazz accordionists in the area.

“To expand and improve the curriculum and get the staff working together as a team, Sam started monthly teachers’ meetings to give the teachers direction and to listen to their suggestions. He also initiated projects to generate an original curriculum to supplement what was lacking in the published material.

“Although lessons and band rehearsals were scheduled on a weekly basis, we all felt comfortable showing up at the studio at any time to practice, rehearse, form impromptu groups, and socialize with the other students and teachers. This kept us off the streets, focused on positive activities, and many lifelong friendships, and even marriages, were formed there.

“Sam was always very progressive, and he was one of the first to recognize the need to expand teaching beyond the accordion into guitar, organ, piano, and voice, so after several years Falcetti Accordion Center became the Falcetti Music Center, which then became a household name in western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut.

“Throughout his 50 years at the helm, he rarely slowed down his teaching, innovating, promoting, marketing, and expanding. When Sam eventually retired, he headed straight for the old rocking chair at his cottage. That lasted about an hour and then he was off and running with his new love, the Roland V-Accordion. Sam approached me to help demonstrate the Roland FR-7, and as many of you know, it’s futile to try to fight Sam’s power of persuasion. So, even though I had been away from the accordion for over 25 years, I soon joined him in his new post-retirement adventure.

“Those of you who have purchased a Roland are well aware of his free programming lessons, the semi-annual workshops he puts together, and, of course, the Roland Digital Accordion Orchestra. These are the kind of extras that grow out of his love of music and the music business.

“What I’ve been describing is only from my own personal perspective, and I wouldn’t be the musician I am today without him, but Sam has also touched the lives of thousands of students, parents, teachers, customers, and associates. He has always been a force for positive change in the industry and in the lives of the people he’s taught and worked with throughout the years.

“Sam has, of course, received many awards for his accomplishments, some were for business, some were for marketing, and some were for community service. This award, however, is being given by people who simply want to say ‘Thank you for helping to advance the instrument that we all love. Thank you for showing that one person can truly be a force for progressive change. Thank you for bringing music into the lives of countless people for over five decades. And thank you for a lifetime well spent.”

Photo caption:
Members of the MAAA Board of Directors and the Falcettis. From left to right:
Lewis Howes, Carmen D’Angelo, Tony Marini, Ed Wawrzynowicz, Sam Falcetti,
Jim Avedisian, Peggy Falcetti, and Rocco Scenna. Photo: Carol Avedisian