New York high school renames building after Billy Joel's mom

SYOSSET, N.Y. (AP) — A building at the Long Island high school that Billy Joel helped save from closing has been renamed after the performer's mother.

Newsday reports the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer attended a ceremony Tuesday at the newly dedicated Rosalind Joel Conservatory for Music and Theatre, which houses the performing arts programs at the Long Island High School for the Arts' campus in Syosset (seye-AH'-siht).

Students performed for and chatted with Joel, whose mother died in 2014.

He says his mother encouraged his interest in music by paying for his piano lessons and taking him to shows when he was growing up.

The Long Island native pledged $1.