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Music/Band » Music / Band

Music / Band

I have been the Middle School Band Director at Coarsegold and Rivergold Elementary Schools since 2023, bringing with me a deep passion for music education and a commitment to fostering musical growth. I graduated from Sonoma State University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Music, which provided me with a strong academic foundation that I combine with practical experience in both music performance and teaching.

Before pursuing a career in music education, I served in the United States Air Force from 2008 to 2012 as an In-Flight Refueling Specialist on the KC-135 Stratotanker. This experience taught me discipline, teamwork, and leadership—qualities that I now bring into my teaching approach. After earning my degree from Sonoma State, I briefly pursued a film scoring career, contributing as an additional composer to over a dozen feature films.

In 2019, my wife and I moved to the mountain community of Coarsegold, where I began working with Megan Rice, the Music Director at Yosemite High School. I started as a consultant for the YHS Marching Band, but my role quickly expanded to support all of the YHS music ensembles, including co-teaching the Bass Lake Middle School Bands in 2022. In addition to my work at Coarsegold and Rivergold, I also have the privilege of co-teaching the YHS Jazz Band and Marching Band alongside Megan Rice.

Within the Yosemite Unified district, I am dedicated to building a strong foundation for young musicians. My focus is on helping students develop the essential musical skills they need to succeed in high school music programs. I am excited to continue expanding the band programs at both Coarsegold and Rivergold, providing students with opportunities to explore their musical potential and develop teamwork and discipline through performance and collaboration.

All Coarsegold Elementary Students now have sixty minutes of general music each week! General Music is a course designed to expose students to a variety of music fundamentals, instruments, history, note reading, rhythm, composition, sight-singing, etc. We focus mainly on giving students joy with music. We are currently focusing on developing the singing voice and introducing the sight-singing tool of solfeggio. Once funds are obtained we will be purchasing autoharps for students to enjoy this year or next. Many students are enjoying and benefitting from all of the rewards of music education. Students who experience music education generally perform better in their core subject areas. We are grateful for the opportunity students have been given at Coarsegold ES to engage in music education.