By Nick Sestanovich
Today is not just the last day for students throughout the Benicia Unified School District. It is also the last day for many teachers who have served the district for a long time. Glenn Walp, who left an impact on the musically inclined youth as Benicia Middle School’s music teacher and band director, has played his final notes as an educator.
“The time and the years of experience I put in are adding up to the right thing,” he said of his retirement.
Walp first became drawn to music at the age of 4 when he saw a violinist perform on his family’s black and white TV.
“I asked my mom, ‘Could I do that?’” he said. “She said, ‘No.’ I had to wait until I was 7. On my 7th birthday, I took my first piano lesson and have been involved in music ever since.”“Sometimes I think having my parents make me wait was a good thing,” he said. “It whetted my appetite a little bit more.”