BHS offering more music choices

Musically-inclined Burnsville High School students will have an even greater opportunity to explore their talents next year now that the School Board has approved a recommendation to expand its music offerings.

At its Thursday, Dec. 19 meeting, the Board approved BHS Principal Dave Helkes recommendation to add four new music classes to the schools course catalog: Strings Chamber Orchestra, Beginning Guitar, Beginning Piano and History of Rock and Roll.

The music people have met a lot and have been engaging in really good conversation, and they really want to find ways to provide other students an opportunity to tap into music that may not be in the traditional band or traditional orchestra [setting], Helke said. We have lots of kids who are not in band or orchestra, but do have garage bands or are in bands outside of school, so it would be a way to capture those students in our own music program.

A strings program was first established at Envision Academy of the Arts, a District 191 magnet high school that was only open in the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years. After the academy closed due to enrollment and funding concerns, the strings program was revived at Harriet Bishop Elementary School and Eagle Ridge Junior High. Officials say the program has been extremely popular.

That [Strings Chamber Orchestra] course really is being proposed because we have our first small cohort of students that are coming through the Harriet Bishop [and] Eagle Ridge strings programs, Helke explained. Even though it will be a small cohort next year, I did talk to [Principal Donald] Leake at Eagle Ridge and I do understand that over the next two or three years those numbers will grow, so we need to put in place some type of a course for those students so they can continue their instruction in strings.

While the course is aimed at students who have been through the Harriet Bishop and Eagle Ridge strings programs, all students will be allowed to enroll in the class as long as they show the necessary level of proficiency in an audition.

Helke said the music teachers at BHS have been looking for more creative ways to get students interested in music education, and more new classes could be on the horizon. Long range, theyve even been talking about eventually looking at music production as an opportunity for kids, he said.

Board member Abigail Alt was pleased to see the new additions. Its really refreshing to see the addition of [these] music [courses] at BHS, said Alt. I would like to challenge us all as a district to continue thinking outside of the box as far as what we can do, not just at the high school level, but also at the other levels to offer enriching and meaningful musical experiences for all of our students.

Thats definitely the tone I get from the music teachers as were talking through new courses and new opportunities for kids, Helke responded.

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BHS offering more music choices