NAME:
Mr. Rick Olsen
SCHOOL:
Dartmouth Middle School
CLASS:
Band
E-mail:
rolsen@hemetusd.k12.ca.us
Mr. Olsen has played the oboe since he was 10 years old. (that's 38 years now)
He started to play piano at age 5 and has taken 2 years of organ as well as
voice lessons. He has made his own reeds since 9th grade and loves the thrill
of not knowing whether the reed will work or not at the concert. (that’s
probably why most oboists are high strung)
He has worked with many great musicians including Ray Still, Tom Stacy,
Leonard Bernstein, Ted Plute, Jacob Avshalomov, to name a few.
Olsen has played in several orchestra and bands playing principal oboe and
English horn. One of his favorite orchestral pieces for English horn is the
Largo from the Symphony from the New World by Antonin Dvorak or the English
horn flute duet from the William Tell Overture by Gioacchino Rossini. He
currently plays locally at weddings and many community events as well as the
Moreno Valley Wind Symphony in Moreno Valley.
Just a few years ago, he started to play all the saxes.
One of Olsen’s biggest goals for students is to expose them to many types of
music and artists that play it. His hope is that many students will be able
to go to college on a full ride scholarship as he did and enjoy music to its
fullest as he does.
Music besides a profession is also a hobby as Olsen likes to find obscure
facts about a composer or a particular composition. When asked what is his
favorite type of music, Olsen’s response is, it depends on the era of history
and genre. But if the truth be known, one of his very favorite composers is
Ludwig Van Beethoven for classical music and for Jazz it would be either
tenor saxophonist John Coltrane/Ben Webster or alto saxophonist Charlie
Parker. But don’t try to corner him on this, as he will always find some
reason to like another artist or composer.
Olsen is often stating that he appreciates all styles of music and will
listen to most any song by most composers. The beauty of music he states, is
that one never learns all that there is to know about music. The older he
gets, the more he realizes he does not know about music and figures he would
be 479 years old before he would know everything about music and by that
time, they will either change something or he will be too deaf to hear it
anyway.
Band is the establishment of some rather profound environmental influences
which will determine much of your child's success in all aspects of
education, not just music. We know that band students represent the top of
the academic scale in our schools. We know they average 62 points higher on
SAT tests, which indicates they are stronger in verbal and math scores than
other members of the student body. We also know that most band students enjoy
a successful high school career, go on to college, and become the leaders in
our society.
There is a definite link between the top academic achiever and the band
student. They are one and the same. One of the most positive impressions you
can offer your child is the chance to learn self-discipline at the highest
level through participation in band. Their social skills, communication
skills, self-concepts, cooperative talents and creative mind will all be
nurtured through their study of music. These life-skills will serve as an
important foundation as they take on various responsibilities in their
future.
Band is an investment in your future!