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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 2017)
BAGE A4, KEIZERTIMES, OCTOBER 20, 2017 KeizerCommunity KEIZERTIMES.COM McNary alum directing at Claggett Creek By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes Rita Brown learned to play the violin as a student at Kennedy, Whiteaker and then McNary. After 14 years at Houck Middle School in Salem, Brown has returned to Keiz- er to become the orchestra director at Claggett Creek Middle School. “It was a chance to get into another area but also a chance to give back,” Brown said of returning to Keizer. “This is my roots. The com- munity as changed quite a bit so it’s neat to see that change, too.” Wanting to be like her older sister, Brown began taking violin lessons when she was 7 years old. “I wanted to be like her and then I wanted to be bet- ter than her,” Brown said. At 10, Brown already knew what she wanted to do with her life—direct. “I don’t know that I’ve re- ally thought about it,” Brown said. “I just knew my path.” That path included get- ting her bachelor’s and mas- ter’s degrees at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, KEIZERTIMES/Delek Wiley Rita Blown, who glew up in Keizel, is the new olchestla dilectol at Claggett Cleek Middle School, leplacing Bluce Buldy. Wash. After a year directing in Tacoma, Brown started out at Houck teaching elementary students before becoming the full-time director. She was able to grow the fourth grade orchestra from eight to 10 students to 25-40. At Claggett, she teaches students from three of the feeder elementary schools, Last chance Kennedy, Cummings and Weddle, as well as sixth, sev- enth and eighth graders at CCMS. “It’s a lot bigger than when I was a kid,” Brown said. “It’s really neat. When I was in fourth grade, we had maybe eight or nine kids. They were very, very small” Brown has 80 kids in her fourth grade orchestra, al- most 60 fi fth graders and 73 at CCMS. Brown likes elementary and middle school students because they remind her of herself. “They’re super quirky and so am I,” Brown said. She also likes to be a part of their progress. “You start them on that path and you see them take hold of it,” Brown said. “You essentially see them turn into musicians in the course of four to fi ve years you’re working with them because at fi rst they’re just learning and modeling. By year four or fi ve, you see them start to synthesize that. You send them off and hear about all the great things they do. It’s really fun to watch that and help them mold that.” Brown is a quirky but also serious teacher. “I want them to enjoy it but I also want them to take ownership in what they’re learning,” she said. “I try to paint the picture for them of what it looks like to be at a certain level and I use the word excellence a lot and they’re probably getting tired of hearing that. But I try to picture paint that so they have something that they can aim for.” Brown looks forward to working with CCMS band director Danny Hunt and choir director Sandra Krause. “That’s one of the neat things about the music and arts program in Keizer, it’s pretty dynamic,” Brown said. “It would be nice to see Claggett mirror that, which I think they do already but it would be nice to see it as a tripod. I’d like to see, es- pecially at Claggett, our de- partment become really in- volved.” Brown replaces Bruce Purdy, who was at CCMS since it opened. Brown has a 3-year-old daughter. “We’re going to start her on violin and see if she likes it,” Brown said. “We just sized her last week. She might be something else entirely. It’s up to her. We’re just going to start her and let her choose.” BREAKING NEWS in Keizer? Find out more at… WVP is pleased to WELCOME Jennifer L. Lee, ANP-C KEIZERTIMES/Delek Wiley Holly Beaman (Daisy) and Dennis Fishel (Bogie) dance and sing duling Keizel Homeglown Theatle’s plesentation of Dog Balk, The Musical. The show ends Fliday, Oct. 20 and Satulday, Oct. 21 in the Chemeketa Community College Auditolium, located in Building 6. Tickets ale $15 and available at the dool ol online at Blown Bapel Tickets at http://www. blownpapeltickets.com/event/3091639. 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