Who's Who: Teaching Young Musicians to Create Music Together

Name: Matthew Ferreira

Age: 27

Occupation: Instrumental music director at

How did you get interested in music? I started playing an instrument in fourth grade; I started on clarinet. I’m actually an identical triplet. My brothers and I all started music at the same time. One started on violin, the other on saxophone. In fifth grade we all started playing alto saxophone.

In middle school the director said we needed a tenor and baritone saxophone, so I started on baritone. It took a while to get used to being in the back, playing, “Oompah, oompah.” With an alto, tenor and baritone, we started playing chamber music in seventh grade. We did that seriously all the way through high school.

In high school we started picking up other instruments. [My brother] Dan picked up clarinet; I took up percussion. I was serious about conducting.

Dan and I both started as performance majors at Cal State Hayward. Then I started taking education classes; he stuck with performance.

How did you come to Saint Mary’s? My senior year Casey Filson [now a school counselor] who was then the music director, called my music education professor and said this was going to be an open position. I called Casey and came up for a visit. I applied just a few weeks later, came for an official interview, and then [the school] called and offered me the job, a few weeks before I’d graduated.

My first year teaching here was 2006-07. I was still working on my teaching credential. I taught here every day till 3:30; then I’d go down to Hayward for my credential classes.

What are the various music classes offered here at Saint Mary’s? Within instrumental music, there are the beginning and intermediate bands, for students who are freshmen or sophomores or playing an instrument for the first time. There’s the advanced (symphonic) band, for juniors and seniors and others who’ve played three or more years. The orchestra is for any level of experience with string instruments. We have students who graduated from the Crowden School of Music with lots of experience and some doing string instruments for the first time. We also have Jazz Ensemble. There’s one chorus class, conducted by Chris Trinidad, the campus minister.

Outside of the school day, we have the Jazz Combo, and then we also have Pep Band.

Every student who has experience with music, I ask to audition with me. I try to get them placed in the level just right for them.

When do those groups perform? We do concerts for each class. I’ve planned for a concert at the end of each trimester.

Jazz Ensemble and Symphonic Band also travel to performance festivals. This year it’ll be in El Cerrito. A panel of three judges listens and then gives us tips on how we can perform better. It’s always good for students to get instruction from someone other than me. Every conductor has a different interpretation of music and different techniques for teaching certain skills.

What percentage of the student body participates in some form of music here? This year overall enrollment in music is 120 to 130 students – it’s a pretty good percentage of the student body (which is about 620 students). A lot of directors are jealous.

What role does music play in a secondary school education? If you were to ask the students, they would say it helps them to relax. After English, math, history, religion, it provides a change of pace. I am asking something different of the students – they are asked to be creative, be spontaneous, and to improvise. When you’re given these building blocks of notes and rhythms, and you get 40 students in one room all trying to create one musical idea -- [it's] like being on a team. Everyone is individually tasked with learning their own notes and rhythms for their part, but together we're involved in creating one piece of music. My big emphasis this year is listen, listen, listen – to others’ ideas, to what’s going on around you.

Everybody makes mistakes ... ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email her at emilier@patch.com.