Musicians count fractions as they read sheet music. Maya says, “In Band class, we start with the Bb scale whole notes, then quarter notes, and then eighth note scales. Reading music is like math, and I like math.” Maya and I discussed some other ways that playing music enhances areas of her life. She says, … More November 2025 Music Student of the Month – Maya Yerly
Solomon Ross is at the edge of his seat, cello in arms, eager to express his passion for his instrument. “I’ve grown attached to this instrument. I bring it home and practice almost every day of the week to wind down and relax. “Music is definitely my favorite subject in school,” Solomon says. “Now I’m … More October 2025 Music Student of the Month – Solomon Ross
Here are the highlights from our Fall 2025 newsletter about the public school music program on Orcas Island: We hope you will read all the updates and photos in the full two-page newsletter below. Keep the drumbeat of school music strong Thanks to your sustained support, all students from K-12 grades have in-school access to … More Fall 2025 School Music News
“As the only trombone in the whole middle school, the pressure is on, but I like it!” says Odin Sprenger, this month’s Music Student of the Month. “I’ve been the only trombone since sixth grade, which has been a challenge but a lot of fun too – I have a lot of opportunities to shine. … More September 2025 Music Student of the Month – Odin Sprenger
June’s featured music student is just finishing up his first year of learning to play an instrument in the public school music program. Danny explained some of the perks of playing trombone in the Orcas Island school band. He said that Band Director Mr. Dix teaches breathing techniques to the students who play brass instruments … More June 2025 Music Student of the Month – José Daniel Medina Valladarez
Early access to music education during his elementary school years has given Carlitos the chance to learn the violin from a young age. He credits playing music with giving him a “surge of creativity” and allowing him more room for expression. OISD Strings Director Pamela Wright commended his hard work and commitment to practice, noting that he … More May 2025 Music Student of the Month – Carlitos Salan Rodriguez
Early access to music education during his elementary school years has given Carlitos the chance to learn the violin from a young age. He credits playing music with giving him a “surge of creativity” and allowing him more room for expression. OISD Strings Director Pamela Wright commended his hard work and commitment to practice, noting that he … More May 2025 Music Student of the Month – Carlitos Salan Rodriguez
Making music education available in the public school curriculum, from elementary through high school, gives students the opportunity to explore learning different musical instruments to find the one that they will enjoy. Jose is a great example of a student who was able to try out a different instrument this year. Mr. Dix, the OISD … More April 2025 Music Student of the Month – Jose Coro
Sierra is new to the beginning strings program at Orcas Island public school but already shines as an enthusiastic and hardworking young musician. To her credit, she was an inaugural participant of the Junior Orcas Youth Chorus. She also has a supportive family that believes in the benefits of learning music. In fact, on a … More March 2025 Music Student of the Month – Sierra Miller
A saxophonist in the high school band, Wren works diligently to improve her performance skills and one of the things she appreciates about participating in the school music program is getting to travel off-island for competitions to see other bands and hear different levels of playing. Together with fellow high school musicians, Wren is raising … More February 2025 Music Student of the Month – Wren Ontjes
Music Advocacy Group 