It is with much sadness that we share the resignation of Mr. James from Ballard High School. Mr. James has been the band director at Ballard for 16 years. He taught many classes and was an emotional support for his students. Here are some of the ensembles Mr. James was responsible for:
- Wind Ensemble
- Symphonic Band
- Concert Band
- Jazz 1
- Jazz 2
- Marching Band
- Pep Band
- Pit Orchestra for Theatre
- Piano Class
- Recruiting from Middle Schools with band day
- Master Classes
Under his tutelage, many of these groups won numerous awards over the years and have played in some amazing places. Mr. James will be sorely missed.
We will be keeping our
Remote Learning page updated as we work to ensure fall is a success for all of Ballard Performing Arts.
Here is a note from Mr. Wynkoop on Mr. James' resignation and on finding his replacement followed by Mr. James' letter.
Ballard Performing Arts Families,
I am writing today with sad news for our music program and community. Michael James has recently decided that he will not be returning to Ballard as our Band Director. I know that Mr. James’ decision was a difficult one for him to make and although he does not know what his next challenge is at this time, he felt that the time was right to make this decision.
Replacing a teacher of his quality is never easy and this timing adds to the challenge. The person that we hire will be shepherding a successful program with great impact for many years, so we need to make sure that we hire the right person.
For now, I am collaborating with Ms. Rowley and Ms. Fortune to find a temporary replacement for Mr. James and to make plans to collaboratively ensure that the band students have a rich music experience, even with these challenging circumstances. I am committed to making sure that the band program continues to operate at a high level and will be working to make sure that happens.
I am thankful to Mr. James for 16 years of high-quality teaching and for leading a program that been recognized throughout the country for an extremely high level of quality performances. His impact on the thousands of students that have been part of the program will resonate for many years.
If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me (kswynkoop@seattleschools.org). I may not have a lot of answers, as we are still early in the process of determining the next steps, but I will answer what I can.
Respectfully,
Keven S Wynkoop
Principal
#AG2BB
