About the Program
Philosophy Statement
As directors of music at Kwalikum Secondary School we believe that all learners should be given the opportunity to thrive in an environment where they feel secure and safe to grow mentally, physically, emotionally and socially. We believe that through a blend of product and process centered learning we are able to guide learners in attaining a collaborative vision. We believe that learner experience adds value to the content presented. Through guidance towards collective co-constructed goals, we will make a lasting impact on the value of music in our local community. We strive to provide a positive example where musicians learn about the impact of music education.
KSS Mission (draft 09/22)
We provide safe and supportive environments that challenge learners to develop their unique strengths towards responsible citizenship.
Land Acknowledgement
BC School District #69 is located on the unceded traditional shared territory of the Qualicum and Snaw-Naw-As Nations of the Coast Salish People. As members of the district’s educational community we are grateful for the opportunity to learn, share, grow and make music on these traditional territories.
KSS Music Faculty
Every stakeholder in the KSS Music program owes a debt of gratitude to founding teacher Bill Cave who established the standard of excellence that is the KSS Music legacy. Upon Mr. Cave's retirement in 1991, Dave Stewart took over and continued building the Kwalikum Music Machine into an internationally respected music program.
Mr. Bill Cave 1983-91
Mr. Dave Stewart 1991-2015
Mr. Dan Craven 1998-present
Mr. Brent Kellas 2015-2017
Ms. Crystal-Anne Howell 2017-present
Our Music Facility
The KSS music facility is located in the Center of the North (new) building, just inside the main entrance to the school. Our learners have access to two large fully equipped rehearsal spaces, 3 individual practice rooms (including pianos and one with a practice drum kit) and a 220 seat performance venue.
Instruments in our inventory that we are privileged to make available to our learners include a 9 foot concert grand Estonia piano, a 6 foot Kawai grand piano, extensive jazz and concert band percussion, and a number of professional level wind instruments. View our full inventory of musical instruments.
KSS Music in the News
We are in the process of building an anthology of KSS musicians in the press media over the years. Work will be ongoing for some time as the KSS music program has an extensive history dating back to its inception in 1983. A few recent sample articles can be viewed on our Press page.
Gratitude
If you have looked at Mr. Craven's STOMPING page, you'll know that an essential component of our educational motivation involves the awareness of thankfulness in everything we do. Identifying meaningful opportunities to express gratitude in an educational context helps all of us reflect on what we have learned and who has helped us along the way. Supporters of music education, starting at the family level and extending to the greater community, are essential to the experience and inertia of our music learners, and their support is respected and greatly appreciated.
As educators leading by example, we are grateful to those who support our young musicians. Parents and families, guardians, community members, fans, friends, private music teachers, festival organizers - and everyone else who puts effort into improving the experience of our kids - you have our sincere and lasting gratitude. It is your energy and caring that makes our KSS Music mission possible.
Every experience that we plan for our learners is propelled through the support and encouragement of our KSS admin team. We are grateful to Lori Marshall, Heather Deering and Jennifer Lunney for many things, like attending and supporting our learners' performances, facilitating and promoting their achievements, scheduling their classes (this is a really big one!), approving and supporting their field experiences, providing their sheet music and other resources, signing reams of travel documents, collaborating with instructors, and everything else that might go unnoticed in the day-to-day workings of our school. These 3 people work hard to ensure the best experience for music learners and many many others, and we suggest that you embrace the 'G' in STOMPING - "Gratitude with Attitude" - and thank our school administrators yourself. Email links are attached to their names above so you can do it now if you are so inclined.