March was Music in Our Schools Month, and we felt a crescendo of excitement peaking in a celebration of many awards and honors.
Carlsbad High School choirs won top honors at the San Diego Sings Choir Competition and Festival, with the Chamber Singers scoring highest in the Concert Choir Division (and winning 3 of their 4 competitions so far this year). Encore won first place in the Intermediate Women's Division. And Sound Express took first place in the Advanced Mixed AA Division. In April, teacher Jessie Bullock will travel with 40 of these singers to New York, where they will perform at Carnegie Hall with Grammy®-winning composer and conductor Eric Whitacre.
All across Carlsbad, choirs, orchestras, bands, dancers, and musical theater groups have been wowing audiences. More than 250 middle and high school students from all five of our school orchestras took part in a Combined Orchestra Concert, and over 300 students played in the Combined Band Concert, both at Carlsbad High School.
CHS teacher Jessica Allen’s Carlsbad Chamber Orchestra received national recognition for being the best orchestra for all divisions in their recent Anaheim competition. One judge called them the "Maserati of Orchestras.” The Orchestra was invited to compete against other top orchestras in the nation next year in Los Angeles.
The Carlsbad High School Band just completed a clinic with Jason Caslor, Director of Bands at Arizona State University, and performed the national anthem at a Cubs vs. Diamondbacks spring training game. After the successes of 2018, the CHS Drumline moved into the next class of competition, facing off against some of the best drumlines in California, Arizona, and Nevada. And, for the first time in program history, it received a spot in Open Class Finals, ending in 14th place — a huge accomplishment. And several of teacher Amanda Boer’s AOMS musicians performed in the John Philip Sousa Honor Band.
Sage Creek High School Drama staged “Les Miserables,” accompanied by the SCHS Pit Orchestra; Valley Middle School produced “Aladdin, Jr.”; Aviara Oaks Middle School performed “Mary Poppins, Jr.”; and Calavera Hills Middle School’s Coyote Cavern Productions put on “Singing in the Rain.” CHS’s concert choir and orchestra will be performing Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Carlsbad High School musical theater will be performing “Little Women,” in May.
Carlsbad Unified’s exemplary secondary music programs would not be possible without the continued support of the Carlsbad Educational Foundation (CEF). And, because music education begins early in Carlsbad Unified, CEF this year will also provide more than $300,000 to hire and train teachers for vocal and instrumental music classes at all nine CUSD elementary schools. Those classes will serve 5,000 students in 200 classrooms.
This year, under the direction of music teacher Kate Battenfeld, TK and kindergarten students at Buena Vista are learning finger play and story songs. James Burton’s first graders at Aviara Oaks are learning to count beats and understand rhythms through musical games. Judd Stapleton’s fourth graders at Calavera Hills are learning to do the Twist, compose a melody on a ukulele, and perform an American standard on a recorder. Guided by the CA Visual and Performing Arts standards and frameworks, students study musical instruments, world and American music, the basics of reading and composing music, performance, and music theory.
“CEF is committed to providing CUSD students with an early exposure to music,” said Michelle Ginn, CEO of the Carlsbad Educational Foundation. “Music education contributes to student success in academics, develops creativity and expression, and fosters a lifelong love of music. Besides displaying musical artistry, students are learning discipline and experiencing the great enjoyment of performing with a group.”
As Music Month comes to a close, we honor the dedication of all of our music teachers and coaches, and the thousands of young Carlsbad Unified musicians and the families who support them.
