OUR CULTURE

This year is especially involved for the students as they work together to build a culture of a brand new band program! This is our starting point and will develop over time as we set goals and grow!

Mission Statement: To develop the interest in and passion of the performing arts in all Crystal Cougar Band students through equitable support, guidance, and compassion.

Purpose: To provide high-quality instruction of music and color guard to all interested Crystal Middle School students. Band and color guard students will learn important life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and a strong sense of community and work ethic, while learning to have a growth mindset in order to learn foundational to intermediate music and dance techniques as per the California State Visual and Performing Arts Standards.

CMS COUGAR BAND IS A SAFE SPACE!

The CMS Cougar Band is committed to providing a safe space for students to learn and perform music and dance, regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic status. Bullying, hate speech, or acts of violence will not be tolerated and may lead to loss of privileges and/or band membership. CMS Band students should feel represented in their education, and will be offered input in regard to cultural representation in their musical selections. I will do my best to give a wide variety of music from composers from all walks of life, and prioritize student engagement with music that reaches out to them. While everyone has different tastes, my aim as an educator is to create a musical curriculum that is fun for all students.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Hi! My name is Ben Wilkinson and I am delighted and honored to be the new band director at Crystal Middle School! I’m a SF Bay Area native; I grew up in Concord until 8th grade when I moved to Benicia and got the opportunity to perform in their award-winning music program. As a recipient of the Benicia High School Fine Arts Award and the John Phillips Sousa Band Award, I continued to study music with an emphasis in education at San Jose State University before taking time away from music and focusing on teaching color guard to numerous middle and high schools across the region. I currently serve as an active member and adjudicator for the Northern California Band Association, in which I am on a judging panel that scores and ranks competing marching band and color guard groups across California.

I completed my degree in music from San Francisco State University, in which I developed a drive for creating an equitable experience for music students in an activity that has been traditionally “gate-kept” by those from higher socio-economic classes. Working at Crystal Middle School is a dream-come-true for me, and I look forward to collaborating with students and parents to create a culture that will foster the artistic growth of these talented students, with supports in place to help every student achieve both their individual and our collective musical goals. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have an idea on how to help the classroom experience connect more to your students!

Musically, I have been playing flute since fourth grade and have had the privilege to study under Catherine Payne, piccolo player for the San Francisco Symphony, and Linda Lukas, second chair flute for the SFS. Being exposed to the highest levels of professional artistry have inspired me to bring the best information possible to my students in order to enable them to achieve great success in music. I truly believe in the talent of every student, and will do whatever it takes to help each member of the CMS Cougar Band achieve their goals!

I look forward to working with many students and parents over the years, and encourage you to reach out to me and communicate how I can best support the growth and needs of your students.