Crystal Kowalski was born in Philadelphia where her father’s family of violin makers from Italy immigrated to and settled decades earlier. She grew up in the Paoli area and attended college at Drexel University where she majored in Economics. While at Drexel, she met her husband Vince and they were married and relocated to Berks County when Vince took a job with AT&T in Reading. The couple established their home in Wyomissing where they raised three children and will celebrate 40 years of marriage next summer.
As a young mother of three children, Crystal became immersed in music along with her two daughters. Her oldest who was 5, wanted to play piano while her younger daughter wanted to play the violin. While searching for a music teacher, she came upon a Suzuki method instructor, Pat Chandler, who would accept students as young as 5 on the piano and 3 on the violin. “She got me playing and studying the Suzuki method along with my daughters and eventually suggested that I begin teaching students of my own. That was 30 years ago, and I’ve been teaching in my home ever since. I presently have 35 students of all levels who range in age from 3 to 70. I’ve also taught in several catholic schools in the area.”
Although her children are now grown, and she is a grandmother of one grandson who she is delighted to have close by, Crystal has filled her time with teaching and has crafted a life filled with service to others utilizing her skills as a music educator, and her economics background working to raise awareness and address social justice issues in our area. “I have found my education in Economics useful in tracking trends and understanding the impact of our choices on how to allocate limited resources impacts our community.”
Through her music, Crystal has been able to reach audiences around the county with students playing library performances, nursing homes, recitals at the WCR, and a yearly performance of the Star Spangled Banner at the stadium. These performances inspire her student musicians and their audiences alike. She also serves as a music instructor while making connections in the music community to promote music in youth populations that are underserved.
“I just started a weekly music program at the Berks County Youth Shelter. The Reading Musical Foundation generously donated all the instruments we needed. We have guitars, ukuleles, violins, djembes, and a keyboard. I get to spend a half hour with the girls, and then a half hour with the boys. The children and teens are a joy to work with. They are open to trying new things and are really learning quickly. I feel so fortunate to be a part of Berks County’s thriving music community. Programs like this are made possible by the interconnectedness of the art’s community. Reading should be very proud of its arts community!”
Crystal’s volunteer work with the Women’s Center for the Arts in Reading serving on the Board of Directors for 7 years and presently serving on the Program and Events Committee, has helped to facilitate many connections which benefit a wide range of people in the community.
Outside of her involvement in the music and arts community, Crystal works tirelessly for social justice in the county. With her colleague, Jane Palmer, and others Crystal founded Building Justice in Berks. Building Justice in Berks (BJB) is a grassroots advocacy group focused on criminal legal system reform in Berks County. BJB’s mission is to reduce the number of people in the system, identify interventions that maximize community safety, and ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and equity across race, ethnicity, socio-economic status and gender.
“In 2023 BJB was awarded a partnership/grant from the Vera Institute of Justice; a national organization. Our project was two-fold: to collect quantitative data and to conduct a Listening Tour. The warden provided us with quantitative data from the jail, and Dr. Seleda Simmons and Shawn Bridges of The Real Deal 610 designed the listening tour questionnaire and conducted 121 interviews of people impacted by incarceration. The purpose of our project was to listen to people impacted by incarceration, to understand who is in our jail and why, and finally to find ways to permanently reduce the jail population. Through the year and a half project we met with governmental stakeholders (the Commissioners, DA, etc.) and community groups (Safe Berks, Opportunity House, Coalition to End Homelessness, Easy Does It, etc.) It was amazing the connections that were made through these meetings; our community has many good people who want to make things better.”
One truly beautiful part of the project was the creation of 6 moveable Solidarity Murals. Artists, Mike Miller and Theron Cook, designed and facilitated the painting of the murals. Painters included people currently detained in Berks County Jail, jail staff, county administrators and community members from all walks of life. “We all worked together on these murals and it was a powerful part of this project. The murals depict hands from across the community connecting with one another. The murals are not directional, they don’t represent a hand out, or a hand up, they represent our connections to and respect for one another. Berks County is filled with people who all want the same thing: a safe, thriving, livable community. If we take the time to care for and listen to each other we can absolutely achieve that goal.”
Crystal’s light shines brightly as she dedicates her time to help uplift the lives of others; through her music and through her advocacy for social justice issues in our homeplace of Berks County.
For more information visit:
www.buildingjusticeinberks.org
www.therealdeal610.org
