The Northern Westchester Music School was founded in 1959 by Carmen Carrozza, a world famous accordion player.  Carmen owned and operated N.W.M.S. from 1959 to 2005.

Carmen Carrozza was born in Calabria, Italy in 1920 and emigrated to America with his family at an early age.   He played piano and violin, but soon became enamored with the accordion's flexibility, how it could fit perfectly into an orchestra or sound like an orchestra itself.

Carrozza is one the greatest exponents of the accordion in the classical field.  He studied under Pietro Deiro who was one of the pioneers of the accordion in the United States.  He has appeared as soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, under the direction of Arthur Fiedler, the Cincinnati Orchestra, Buffalo Symphony Orchestra, and the National Symphony at Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.).  He has also appeared with the N.Y. Philharmonic under the direction of Andre Kostelanetz, premiering the "Rubaiyat", written by Alan Hovhaness and narrated by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in Washington DC and for former NYC Mayor John Lindsay in New York.  He has concertized throughout Europe and was presented with a gold medal in Italy after an outstanding performance at the Teatro di Pavia.  One of the high points in Mr. Carrozza's distinguished career was a concert in Town Hall in New York City where he performed all original accordion works by many outstanding American composers including Robert Russell Bennett, Paul Creston, Virgil Thompson and many others.

Carmen resides in Westchester County, N.Y. with his wife Jean.  He has two grown children, Carmen and Marianne.