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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (June 10, 2016)
JUNE 10, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5 KeizerCommunity KEIZERTIMES.COM Maestro, if you please High school orchestra gets new director By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes When asked what he liked about working with students, Sean Williams said the answer he gave during his fi rst job interview is still true—“I love that light bulb moment, when they’re working and working at something and all of a sudden, they get it and you see them take that leap forward. That’s very rewarding as a teacher.” As orchestra director, Sean Williams saw the light come on for 15 years at Stephens Middle School in Salem but now he’s moving on to take the same position at McNary High School. “I’ve long been interested in working at the high school level,” Williams said. “I’ve been very thankful to have the mid- dle school experience to build my skills and preparation. It’s an opportunity for me to broaden my skill set and try something new, work at the high school level with a different level of student, a different age of stu- dent. I’m looking forward to the challenge.” Williams’ family bought a house in Keizer two years ago and even with the opportunity to work with older musicians, leaving Stephens wasn’t easy. “It takes a long time to get to know all the people in an area, to start making those con- nections and being established and walking away from that was very diffi cult,” he said. “There’s very supportive families, won- derful students over there, great administration.” Williams believes McNary is poised to have consistent excellence in all of its mu- sic programs, particularly in We are Everything Except Overpriced Honored alums Submitted Sean Williams conducts the Stephens Middle School orchestra during a concert. Williams, a Keizer resident, is taking the reins of the McNary High School orchestra program. the strings and full orchestra thanks to the training the cur- rent students had when they were in elementary and middle school with people like former Whiteaker Orchestra Director Bonnie Gallagher and current Claggett Creek Orchestra Di- rector Bruce Purdy. “They are really fantastic teachers who prepared those students well,” he said. Teaching high schoolers isn’t foreign to Williams. This year, he was part of the team that started the fi rst symphony orchestra at McKay. Williams will lead two string orchestras at McNary as well as co-direct the symphony with Jennifer Bell. He’ll also teach fi fth graders before school at Whiteaker. Williams said his fi rst order of business at McNary is to re- recruit students. The orchestra has had four directors in the last fi ve years. “Anytime you’ve got turn- over and transitions, students look at maybe this isn’t some- thing I should be doing,” Wil- liams said. “I’m trying to get some of them back into the fold.” With more students, Wil- liams wants to expand the number of string orchestras from two to three. “I really think in terms of the needs of the students, there really needs to be three so that we’ve got more of a sequential program,” he said. “There’s a need to have more of a progres- sion with the orchestras and to have a place for those students who enjoy making music, who want to develop their skills but maybe they’re not invested in a competitive sense. There needs to be a place for them to con- tinue having that outstanding musical experience.” Williams focuses on funda- mentals in his teaching. “It’s very easy to get caught up in learning new repertoire, new techniques, new music at higher more challenging levels but you constantly have to cy- cle back to those fundamental skills because without those in place, it’s a house of cards,” he said. “It’s not as stable and reli- able.” While viola is Williams’ primary instrument, he start- ed with piano in elementary school and then violin. Wil- liams noted he’s “reasonably competent” in cello and string bass and knows enough of the brass and woodwind instru- ments to get himself in trouble. Through private lessons in both viola and violin as well as his involvement with the Salem Youth Symphony, Williams has already worked with current McNary students and he knows of at least two eighth graders at Stephens who are follow- ing him to the high school in Keizer. Although, they claim he is following them. “It’s a great community, very supportive administration, it’s going to be a fantastic ride,” Williams said. Give your home the Simple Cremation $795 Encore Treatment Inexpensive Burial and Funeral Options W INDOWS & D OORS [S HOWER D OORS ] M IRRORS & S KYLIGHTS C USTOM T ABLE T OPS Members of the Mc- Nary High School Class of 2016 returned to their old stomping grounds at Keizer Elementary School Friday, June 3. The soon-to be grads paraded through the hallways as current students cheered them on. Above: McNary graduates collect high-fi ves from Kennedy Colts. Right: Chris Scofi eld leads the way. Photos courtesy of Karma Krause Grassroots government starts here: volunteer for city advisory role The City of Keizer is soliciting applications for volunteers to serve on the following committees and advisory boards: • Festival Advisory Board. The committee meets on the fourth Monday of Feb- ruary, April, July, Septem- ber and November at 6 p.m. • Keizer Points of Interest Committee (two vacancies). The committee meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. • Public Art Commission (two vacancies). The com- mission meets on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. • Youth Councilor/Youth Liaison/Page – Opportuni- ties are currently available to area teens for service on city council and various city committees for 2016-17. Nominations are also be- ing accepted for Volunteer of the Quarter. Volunteer applications and Volunteer of the Quar- ter nominations are available at Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE, Keizer, or you can request an appli- cation be mailed to you by calling 503-390-3700. Elec- tronic applications are avail- able at www.keizer.org. For additional information on volunteer positions, con- tact Debbie Lockhart at 503- 856-3418. KEIZER MAYOR CATHY CLARK JOINS GATOR AND DENISE EVERY WEDNESDAY AT 5:30 PM Pre-Planning Available On-Site Crematory VISIT OUR SHOWROOM 1450 Front St - Salem 503.581.2559 4365 RIVER RD N, KEIZER 503.393.7037 www.encoreglass.co Se habla español Encore Glass CCB #196078 TUNE IN AS WE TALK ALL THINGS KEIZER! WorshipDirectory These Salem-Keizer houses of worship invite you to visit. Call to list your church in our Worship Directory: (503) 390-1051 John Knox Presbyterian Church JOIN US FOR SUNDAY WORSHIP 452 Cummings Lane North • 393-0404 8:30 am • 10 am • 11:30 am • 6 pm PEOPLESCHURCH 4500 LANCASTER DR NE | SALEM 503.304.4000 • www.peopleschurch.com Celebration Services Saturday Evening 1755 Lockhaven Dr. NE Keizer 503-390-3900 www.dayspringfellowship.com Rev. Dr. John Neal, Pastor Worship - 10:30 a.m. Education Hour - 9:15 a.m. Nursery Care Available www.keizerjkpres.org Jason Lee UMC 820 Jeff erson St. NE Salem OR 97301 9:00 am Dr. Jon F. Langenwalter, Pastor The church with the purple doors 10:45 am Worship at 9:30 am • Child Care Available 6:00 pm Children’s Programs, Student and Adult Ministries Father Gary L. Zerr, Pastor Saturday Vigil Liturgy: 5:30 p.m. Sundays: 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. La Misa en Español: 12:30 p.m. Sunday Morning and 503-364-2844 Faith Lutheran Church 4505 River Rd N • 393-4507 Sunday Schedule: 9:00 a.m. Children’s Church 9:15 a.m. Adult Bible Study 9:30 a.m. Children’s Activities Pastor Virginia Eggert 10:30 a.m. Worship with Communion
