Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Music topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teacher highlights student‑focused 'School of Rock' and band pathway, cites grants for equipment
Summary
Tobias Burroughs, the district's middle‑ and high‑school band and rock‑program teacher, told the board the program's mission is 'to use music to create good people,' outlined a concert‑band progression and said two grants provided about $7,500 for new sound equipment and instruments.
Tobias Burroughs presented the district's music program and extracurricular 'School of Rock' sequence to the board, outlining a progression from beginning band through intermediate to advanced ensembles and a parallel rock‑program pathway for middle and high school students. He said the program aims "to use music to create good people" and to give students lasting musical skills.
Burroughs described recent competitive experiences — advanced band participation in OSAA chamber and large‑ensemble festivals — and said students nearly qualified for state competitions in two scores. He told trustees that grants totaling "over $7,500" have been used to buy improved sound equipment and closer‑to‑professional instruments to improve performance quality and safety (a drum cage was cited to reduce noise issues). The presentation included plans for festival clinics, a middle‑school trip to the University of Oregon and an emphasis on student leadership and small‑ensemble rehearsal time. "Our goal is to just make music lovers," Burroughs said.
The board asked about grade eligibility and community performances; Burroughs said sixth graders can join concert band and seventh graders can begin the School of Rock sequence, and he described tentative contacts with local Fourth‑of‑July organizers and the Detroit Lake Foundation for parade opportunities. Trustees praised the program's energy and growth and encouraged continued outreach and performance opportunities.
