Spring 2023 Newsletter
April 5, 2023
Category: Community
Public school music program needs chair carts for daily use — GiveOrcas Holiday Campaign 2021
December 1, 2021
Orcas Island Music Advocacy Group (MAG) is helping to raise money for 4 steel carts to safely stack, move, store and protect the 80 or so music chairs used daily by 5th-12th grade music students for practice and performance in the public school. These storage carts will keep large stacks of chairs stable, freeing up … More Public school music program needs chair carts for daily use — GiveOrcas Holiday Campaign 2021
2021 Fall School Music News
November 2, 2021
Hello from MAG! School music has started, in-person, at Orcas public schools. Hooray! The high school band even performed ‘live’ at the Homecoming week bonfire on the Village Green on October 8th. Holiday concerts are being planned, albeit only open to families at this time. This year, there are 116 students in Band and Strings … More 2021 Fall School Music News
Bravo! String and Band concerts 2021
June 21, 2021
Our music teachers and students have truly shown us how to power through with music. School music has persevered because the teachers and students have made the commitment to keep playing together—through online Zoom classes, through home video recordings and through physically distanced practice time in the short sessions in the music rooms when they … More Bravo! String and Band concerts 2021
November 2019 Music Student of the Month – Christian Heisinger
December 3, 2019
Be sure to catch him and the High School Orchestra perform at the Orcas Center on Thursday Dec 12, at 7pm. Go for it, Christian! … More November 2019 Music Student of the Month – Christian Heisinger
Fall 2019 – Back to School Music
October 21, 2019
Hello from MAG! The school music program started on a high note with the highly anticipated Multi-purpose Music Room ready for students. Final touches are still being made, and there are many needs, but the excitement felt as each class walked in for the first time has been infectious. String students have more elbow room … More Fall 2019 – Back to School Music
Senior Student Projects That Are Giving Back Through Music
May 1, 2019
Three graduating seniors at Orcas Island High School have each embarked on a musically-focused senior project as their way to give back to the music-loving Orcas community that has supported their musical development while at the public school. Dishwashing to opera music Luke Pietsch was first introduced to opera fortuitously, while working as a dishwasher … More Senior Student Projects That Are Giving Back Through Music
Letter to the Editor – Music Room To Be Constructed in 2019!
January 8, 2019
At the school board meeting on Tuesday evening, Dec 18, board members decisively elected to construct the long-awaited Multi-purpose/Music Room, which was on the Alternate list of the recent re-bid for the 2017 Bond Construction. The completion of the music wing has the support of many in our music-loving Orcas community. MAG would like to … More Letter to the Editor – Music Room To Be Constructed in 2019!
Letter to the Editor – Keep Music Room in the School Construction Bond
December 16, 2018
The reduced scope of the 2017 School Construction Bond has relegated the Multi-purpose/Music Room to the ‘Alternate’ category, in a re-prioritized list of projects for a new bid package. There is a serious possibility that the Multi-purpose/Music Room may be dropped. The School Board will open new bids for the revised scope of the 2017 … More Letter to the Editor – Keep Music Room in the School Construction Bond
School Music Wraps Up A Notable Year – Over $19,000 in funding from MAG
September 12, 2018
The Orcas School music program bids farewell to two graduating seniors this year, a Band percussionist, Liam Griskey-Watson, and Strings violinist, Joanne Mietzner. Both have been stellar musicians. Joanne played in the San Juan Music Educators Association (SJMEA) Senior Honor Orchestra. She also played in the Orcas High School Strings group that won first … More School Music Wraps Up A Notable Year – Over $19,000 in funding from MAG
Music Advocacy Group 