Mr. Chris Olds
Director of Music
My purpose as a music educator is to give students the tools and set the examples they need to develop the best standard of themselves they possibly can, both musically and socially.
Mr. Olds graduated from San Jose State University in 2012 with a Bachelor of Music Degree with an Emphasis in Music Education. He earned his Single-Subject Teaching Credential in Music from San Jose State University in 2014 and has taught 1st – 12th grade levels at Castlemont Elementary, Monroe Middle, and Los Gatos High schools. However, the majority of Mr. Olds’s teaching has been at the middle school level; at which level, his passion, creativity, excitement, and drive for teaching comes alive.
Mr. Olds has been teaching music in the Willits Unified School District since 2016. During his first year, he taught full-time between Baechtel Grove Middle School and Willits High School as their Music Director. At the end of the 2016-2017 school year, he was given the option to choose the school at which he would like to teach full-time beginning in 2017-2018, as plans for an additional full-time Music Director were being made for the school district.
I chose to teach full-time at Baechtel Grove Middle School because I want to teach students a strong foundation of music through engaging and exciting lessons, on which higher level musicianship and greater musical opportunities in later grade levels can be built. Being a music teacher, I am blessed with the rare opportunity to teach my students for three full years. These music students will form strong friendships with each other as they learn to depend on each other’s sound to succeed.
The BGMS Music Program is based on a high level of respect for our band, bandmates, music, instruments, and rehearsals. Self-assessment is one of the key factors of being able to improve as a musician. Beginning with the first week of instruction, BGMS Music students learn how to assess (think about, describe, and implement changes about) their playing (sound, rhythms, notes, articulations, dynamics, & style) on the individual and ensemble level.
Dear Parents and Guardians
Music is such a wonderful gift. I absolutely love teaching music in an enthusiastic, positive, and respectful environment! Music not only provides students with structure, but within that structure, it gives students an opportunity to create something beautiful and something they can call their own. I love listening to students who are excited to show off their newly learned musical techniques, and challenge students by an encouraging and positive approach. I look forward to the music your student will be making in my class!
Sincerely,
Chris Olds
Director of Music
Baechtel Grove Middle School
1150 Magnolia Street
Willits, CA 95490
(707) 459-2417 / Ext. 1245
chrisolds@willitsunified.com