Ridgeview Raptor Band

Hello Raptors! 

Thank you for visiting our Ridgeview Raptor Band website! We are now in our tenth year rocking the streets in Visalia and beyond. Our marching band has traditionally competed annually in the Caruthers Fair Parade, Fowler Band Review, Visalia Band Review, Pismo Beach Band Review, the Visalia Candy Cane Lane Parade and the Visalia St. Patrick's Day Parade. Our drumline has also brought the beats to the End of Trail Marathon each spring. One of the highlights of the fall season is spending a Friday night under the stadium lights with the Redwood High School Band. Our jazz band has been to festivals at Fresno City College and Cuesta College and tours our elementary feeder schools each year to bring our program to some of our youngest instrumental musicians. To cap each year, the band takes a trip to Disneyland either marching in the parade down Main Street or performing in a backstage recording session.

Aside from all the marching, we also put on sit-down concerts in our Multipurpose Room each winter and spring. Sometimes a small group may be found playing pep band music at basketball or volleyball games. 

Each year I (Ms. Basiletti) am amazed by the musical talents of my students. I love my job getting to make music with them every day. Our music programs in Visalia are something I wish every student could have access to and I can only imagine how much different my school experience would have been if I had been able to start playing an instrument in 5th grade and have dedicated music instruction starting in Kindergarten. I didn't really get my start until high school but here I am (thanks mom for keeping me in piano lessons!) They say it's never too late and while I agree, I do believe that it's also never too early to start learning music and that it is most important to start as young as possible. Music is just another language and the best time to learn it is as a young person. I hope my students will be involved in music throughout their lives and find it to be as enriching a journey as I have. 

I am so excited to welcome our new co-teacher Mrs. Lee Schneider to the team this year. I can't wait to begin working with her on a regular basis.

About Ms. Basiletti:

• Born in Ohio (Dover for the Buckeyes out there)

• Moved to Coarsegold, CA in August 1992 (it was so hot!)

• Attended Rivergold and Coarsegold Elementary, then Yosemite High School in Oakhurst (go Badgers!)

• Completed BA in Music Performance (percussion) at Cal Poly SLO in 2004 (go Mustangs!)

• Completed MA in Music Performance (percussion) at Fresno State in 2007 plus credential (go Dogs!)

• Began teaching on the elementary music team in VUSD in 2013, moved to Ridgeview in 2016/17.

• Currently principal percussion for the Sequoia Symphony Orchestra (www.sequoiasymphonyorchestra.com).

• Perform annually every summer with the Kingsburg Summer Community Band https://www.kingsburgchamber.com/events/annual/concerts 

• Has two daughters Artemis born in 2016 and Athena born in 2018. (GO HURLEY HAWKS!)

• Is a cat person.

• Loves reading, video games, TV/movies, camping/backpacking, swimming and being outdoors.