Redwood High School opened in 1958 in Larkspur, in an area off Highway 101 once known as ”the slough”. The school has 1,500 students and is part of the Tamalpais Union School district. It is regarded as academically challenging and has one of the most distinguished music departments of any Bay Area public high school.
The department head is John Mattern, who came to the school in 2004 and found a program with 50 students, a small jazz ensemble, and a few singers. He has recast the department, and now there are 200 students enrolled in a program that includes six classes: wind ensemble, concert band, intermediate and advanced performance workshops, intermediate and advanced jazz, and beginning guitar and bass.
Mattern, who has a B.A. in classical music from Fresno State and an M.A. in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory, was named Music Educator of the Year in 2006 by classical music radio station KDFC. He is a singer, songwriter, and tenor saxophone player who began his career playing the five-string banjo. He has his own jazz quartet, which just released its first album, Afrosano.
Mattern works with a part-time staff of five very accomplished — and working — jazz musicians. The music program at Redwood High has a fine arts accreditation from the University of California.
“We have a hell of a lot of fun,” says Mattern, 50, “but this is also a serious program, and we are always looking for students who sincerely want to go on to the next level, whatever that is.”
“I tell students, ‘if you don’t want to practice, don’t sign up. On the other hand, if you’re willing to do a little, good things will follow, and if you really want to continue to improve, you can thrive in my department.’"
“Music is an art form and a language combined. It’s bringing together the artistic, the intuition aspect, with the building blocks of this particular language.” - John Mattern, music department chair, Redwood High School
Students are expected to practice at least 30 minutes a day.
“I think what distinguishes Redwood from other schools is that we have a pretty eclectic program. Our approach is that music is an art form and a language combined. It’s bringing together the artistic, the intuition aspect, with the building blocks of this particular language, the theories and skills that enable a performance.”
“We also try to encourage respect for what music is and does.”
Mattern is a great advocate of outreach, including in his own school where several of his students play percussion with students in special education.
Asked for a personal story to suggest the kind of students that come to his program Mattern told the story of Ricky Meyer:
“I’ve had many kids come in here over the years and leave with a whole different perspective. One of those was Ricky. He came in as a kind of roughneck skateboarder in 9th grade. He played the trumpet and some other instruments, but then one day he saw me playing the banjo and that was it. This was three years ago. He went on the Berklee School of Music in Boston and now wants to teach music himself. He’s locked in.”
Listen To The Music
"Regarding classical: We're proudest of "Fanfare and Allegro" by Clifton Williams, performed last May 2013."
Note that "Fanfare and Allegro" came from the personal library of Steve Connelly, and the performance was dedicated to his memory. Mr. Connelly was an incredible Band Director who taught at Cloverdale High School for 44 years. He was a great mentor and inspiring friend to Mr. Mattern, who loved this music with an undying passion.
Approximately 15 to 20 department graduates each year go on to study music in college. This fall, music students will attend such schools as USC, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon, Northeastern, Colorado College, University of Puget Sound, and UC Santa Cruz.
The school has recently opened up a new fine arts building, which includes two large classrooms for music instruction; four new practice rooms; and a 32-channel, state-of-the-art recording room. Students participate in about seven concerts each year.
“My whole thing is that you need to respect the opportunity you have to play. And you begin by respecting the instruments. And now we have this really nice building and my hope is that kids will see the great opportunities we offer.”
“My vision is to expand what is essentially an instrumental program to include a choral program. We have some vocalists, but there’s no large vocal ensemble. I’m laying the groundwork and hope to have someone to direct that soon.”