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MUSIC ARTS UPDATES FOR 2023-2024
How are we changing music arts at middle school and high school next fall?
In previous years we have employed 1.3 FTE spread across middle and high school campuses, comprised of two part time positions at middle school and one part time position at high school. The allocation was roughly equivalent to the interest and enrolment of students in music-related courses and exploratories. There has been a steady decline in student enrolment in the music program recently so we are motivated to recommend some changes based on information gathered from studying some of the region's best music programs, and our own internal feedback, focus groups and surveys.
Our vision for music arts is simple: Inspire and empower students through music to find purpose, build community and have eternal impact beyond our school.
We are excited to welcome Elizabeth Smith and Connor Murdock to lead our music program at grades 6-12 beginning next fall.
Ms. Smith studied music at the University of Alberta and spent the past two years as a fine arts teacher at an international school in China. She is a deeply passionate, creative and energetic teacher.
Mr. Murdock holds a masters degree in music education from Western University and most recently taught music at Southridge Academy. He also teaches music production at Kwantlen University, and for 8 years was the music director at Kelowna Christian School. Mr. Murdock will also provide administrative leadership, creative vision and support for school-wide performances as our Performance Arts Coordinator.
Both music educators were hired on the strength of their vision for the performing arts and their reputation for excellence as teachers of music. They are looking forward to collaborating with other outstanding teachers of the arts next fall. Some of our emerging plans are...
- More time in the schedule allocated to music classes
- Small ensembles, large concert bands, worship and choir
- Opportunities to play, sing and perform traditional and contemporary music.
- Opportunities to create, record and produce music.
- A far greater profile in the community participating in large performance events, trips, festivals and school-wide events
- Upgrades to our music spaces, instruments and equipment
- The new middle school design includes a large performance space
We are excited at the opportunity to invest intentionally in growing our music arts programming at LCS and building on the historic tradition of excellence in music education.
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