Keep the School Band and Orchestra Playing!

Petitioning:
    Mary Miller, Principal, Hopkins Junior High School
    Dr. Jim Morris, Superintendent, Fremont Unified School District
    Desrie Campbell, President, Fremont Unified School District Board of Education
    Ann Crosbie, Vice President, Fremont Unified School District Board of Education
    Larry Sweeney, Clerk, Fremont Unified School District Board of Education
    Dr. Yang Shao, Member, Fremont Unified School District Board of Education
    Michele Berke, Member, Fremont Unified School District Board of Education
    Cara Yi, Student Member, Fremont Unified School District Board of Education

I’m a parent of a currently- enrolled student in the prestigious band program of Hopkins Junior High School in Fremont, CA. I just returned after attending the “Music in the Parks” Festival in Anaheim, where Hopkins Junior High, under the guidance of enormously- talented director, Mr. Gregory Conway, again won first place in all four categories in which the school participated! (Jazz Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Advanced Orchestra, and Wind Ensemble.) Please see the bottom of this petition for a complete list of the programs’ accomplishments.

After returning from the festival, I heard rumors that Hopkins Band and Orchestra programs are changing. Some mentioned that the Beginning Band program is not available for new students, and some even suggested that Mr. Conway might be leaving Hopkins.

I wanted to ensure that the programs remain available for my younger children so I started doing some research. At Anaheim, it stood out that the other similar school band programs had 3 or more music teachers while Hopkins only had one. Then, I looked at other local school music programs, such as Harvest Park and Saratoga, with comparable enrollments, and found that they have multiple music teachers as well.

The current enrollment of the Hopkins Band and Orchestra programs is 349 students which constitutes nearly 35% of the entire Hopkins student body. The average teacher at Hopkins teaches about 150 students, less than half the number Mr. Conway teaches. In talking to several Hopkins parents and students, past and present, it was clear that everyone is extremely happy with the exceptional Hopkins Band and Orchestra programs and with Mr. Conway’s unwavering dedication and strong connection to his students. He continually supports, motivates, and inspires all the students who have passed through his classes over the years.

Therefore, I respectfully submit my concerns and strongly urge that the school and the district take the following actions immediately:

(1.) Recruit and hire an assistant instrumental music teacher to help reduce the Director’s workload and ensure the sustenance, protection, and growth of these quality programs for the benefit of all future students.

(2.) Maintain the current resources and facilities set aside for the Band and Orchestra programs.

I invite everyone who has ever been associated with, or has future plans to participate in, the Hopkins Band and Orchestra programs, to sign this petition. Thank you.

Pankaj Aggarwal

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Hopkins Junior High School Music Program - Significant Accomplishments

BAND PROGRAM

Wind Ensemble

• “Featured Performer” at California All-State Music Education Conference, March 2010. 1 of only 2 bands invited statewide and the first music group from Fremont to ever perform at a State Conference!
• “Unanimous Superior” (highest possible rating) at the Bay Section CMEA festivals for 6 consecutive years (2009-2015).
• “Unanimous Superior” at the CMEA All-State Band/Orchestra Festival, for three consecutive years in a row (2013-2015). Wind Ensemble was 1 of only 4 groups, which included high school groups, from throughout California to achieve this rating in 2014; Hopkins Advanced Orchestra was another!

Symphonic Band/Wind Ensemble

• 11 “Superior” ratings and “1st Place” awards (highest possible) at Music in the Parks Disneyland Festival (2006-2013)

All Bands

• Concert Band – 5 “Superior” ratings and “1st Place” awards at Music in the Parks Great America Festival (2008-2013)
• Symphonic Band – 4 “Unanimous Superior” Ratings at Bay Section CMEA festivals in the last 6 years.
• Hopkins Bands consistently have the highest number of student from any school in Northern California selected for the All-State JHS Honor Band – 20 students in 2014 and 21 students in 2015.
• Hopkins Bands consistently have the highest number students from any school accepted to the All-Northern California JHS Honor Band 48 students in 2014—these are among the best student band musicians from all of Northern California.

ORCHESTRA PROGRAM

Advanced Orchestra

• “Featured Performer “at California All-State Music Education Conference, February 2012 (only orchestra accepted statewide for this performance!
• “Unanimous Superior” (highest possible rating) at CMEA All-State Band/Orchestra Festival for three consecutive years (2013-2015).
• 7 “Superior” ratings and “1st Place” awards at Music in the Parks Disneyland Festival (2006-2015), including 3 “Perfect” Scores of “100” in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 (only 5 Perfect Scores have ever been awarded since 1990—and Hopkins achieved 4 of them!)

Intermediate Orchestra

• 6 “Superior” ratings and “1st Place” awards at Music in the Parks Great America Festival (2008-2013)

All Hopkins Orchestras

• 11 “Unanimous Superior” (highest possible rating) at CMEA Bay Section Festivals (2007-2013)
• Hopkins Orchestras consistently have the highest number students from any school accepted to the All-State JHS Honor Orchestra (14 students in 2014 and 13 in 2015) - this is a statewide honor of distinction as only 65 students are selected in total.

JAZZ PROGRAM

• Hopkins Jazz Ensemble – 4 “Unanimous Superior” (highest possible rating) at CMEA Bay Section Festivals (2009-2015)
• Hopkins JHS Jazz Ensemble – 7 “Superior” ratings and “1st Place” awards at Music in the Parks Disneyland Festival (2006-2015)

Hopkins Music Program participants have been accepted to these Colleges/Universities (2011-2013) ... this is only a partial list:

Arizona State University

Boston University

Brown University

Cal Poly

California Institute of Technology (CalTech)

Carnegie Mellon University

Case Western University

Duke University

Georgia Tech University

Gonzaga University

Harvard University

Harvey Mudd College

Johns Hopkins University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

New York University (NYU)

Northwestern University

Occidental College

Pepperdine University

Pomona College

Princeton University

Purdue University

Saint Mary’s College

Santa Clara University

Southern Methodist University

St. John’s University

Stanford University

University of California:

  Berkeley         Riverside

  Davis              San Diego

  Irvine               Santa Barbara

  Los Angeles   Santa Cruz

  Merced

University of Chicago

University of Hawaii

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Miami

University of Michigan

University of Minnesota

University of North Carolina

University of Pennsylvania

University of Rochester-

   Eastman School of Music

University of San Francisco

University of Southern California (USC)

University of the Pacific (UOP)

University of Washington

Yale University

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