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Joseph Omicil Jr.
(Staff Photo by Renee DeKona)
Sax man sings the blues over a lost opportunity
By Casey Ross
Monday, August 16, 2004

Joseph Omicil Jr. is not from the streets of Roxbury, but he has come to know the neighborhood's problems - how kids are drawn to violence, how apathy spreads.

     For the past three years, the 26-year-old Montreal native has worked to shield teenagers from the lure of crime and gang violence with his music classes.
     He teaches at the Mission Hill School, working long days that often include after-school sessions to keep kids from wasting afternoons on street corners.
     During these brutal summer months, he worries that kids easily lose their way.
     ``People are really concerned right now. My pastor keeps doing funerals once a week,'' Omicil said. ``These kids are getting killed in the streets.''
      But come September, he will not be there to offer a fresh distraction. Budget cuts forced the elimination of his teaching position at the Mission Hill School this year.
     Omicil says he can still make a living with his saxophone - he frequently plays concerts in New York, Boston and Canadian cities - but he wonders what will happen to his old students during idle hours after school.
     ``Now the kids will be free to do whatever they want,'' he said. ``It's amazing we found $65 million to pay for the DNC, but we can't find $50,000 for a teacher.''