MHS’ Music Program has multiple award-winning Bands, being recognized by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), the School Board, and the City of Milpitas. This year, Kylie Ward has taken the role of MHS Director of Bands.
The first year at a new job is always the craziest, Director of Bands Kylie Ward said. Even though it is not her first year as a teacher, there were many things that she had to put together and fix, such as taking a complete inventory of all of the school’s instruments, Ward added.
“I wanted to make sure we went into the school year really organized,” Ward said. “Because if I have my stuff put together, the students will be able to put their things together as well.”
Ward believes it is important that she breaks the mold of what a traditional Band Director does, she said. There is no reason to do things a specific way just because those who preceded her did so, Ward said.
“If it’s (previous Band structure) working for the students, I can be that band director,” Ward said. “But if there are better ways, then I’m not going to stay the same when I can adjust to be better.”
Ward also thinks that her classes should incorporate music that the students actually enjoy and relate to in their regular lives, she said. While the music that band students usually play is fun, it is not something that people listen to for fun, she added.
“It’s not always like you hop in the car and you listen to Mahler’s Symphony,” Ward said. “People will go home and watch an Avengers movie, which is why some of our groups are playing Avengers right now.”
Ward has been very specific with what she wants to do and puts detail into everything, senior Aidan Quiroz said.
“You should play your instrument, but (you) also pay attention to the other (instrument) group,” Quiroz said. “Also, (you are) being mindful of how you play and being more conscious of what you do, instead of just turning your brain off.”
Music teacher and District Music Lead Emily Moore and Ward have on occasion combined their string instrument players and wind instrument players, which usually play in separate classes and rooms during the school day, to allow them to play together, Moore said. The different instrument players combine together during concerts to form Symphony Orchestra, Moore added.
“It (combining classes) hasn’t been in the school day for a little while,” Moore said. “Now it’s during class, so we get more time together, which I think is better.”
Every time there is a new Band Director, it comes with new personalities, goals, and priorities, District Music Lead Emily Moore said.
“Navigating that (transition) is always interesting,” Moore said. “There’s always a little bit of a transition, but this has seemed very positive. Everyone is having a good time.”
Ward has been very organized and energetic, Moore said.
“Because it’s a big job, and you’re managing a whole lot of people, you need someone with lots of energy,” Moore said.
Even though Ward is only teaching band, her experience in various kinds of ensembles has helped her become a better educator, Ward said.
“Having tried all those different things gave me different tools in my toolbox and different things to try that were outside of the regular, traditional band-teaching method,” Ward said.
Ward has played in band in middle school and high school, studied music education, joined a mariachi band, and has studied various other kinds of music, she said.
“In my sixth grade year of middle school, I was like, ‘I want to be a band teacher. I want to do this for the rest of my life,'” Ward said.
Ward also has experience with mariachi and the music department has a class set of guitars not in use, so she believes it would be fun to have a guitar or a mariachi class one day, she said.
“A guitar class would be really cool because you have more freedom to play Kendrick Lamar and other stuff that students are listening to right now,” Ward said. “That would be a really good way to engage some students in music classes that normally would be like, ‘I’m not going to do band.’”
In January, after the construction of the Performing Arts Center is done, the music department will move and use the longer classroom building as their new classroom space, Ward said.
“The new building is beautiful, and we are so lucky to be going in there,” Ward said. “I know all of our staff and students are really, really excited to have that opportunity.”
Right now, the band program is still dealing with the effects of COVID, where everybody fell behind and the district’s elementary and middle school programs are still growing, Ward said.
“I foresee in the next however many years, the program will continue to grow because more kids are able to do band and are interested in doing band,” Ward said.
