More than 40 percent of students selected for honors orchestra are from IUSD

Brad Van Patten, IUSD’s coordinator of visual and performing arts, passed along a very noteworthy statistic this week. Of the 102 spots available in the 2014 All Southern California Middle School Full Orchestra, he said, 42 were filled by students from the Irvine Unified School District.

That’s 41 percent, and it’s all the more remarkable when you consider that auditions for the all-star ensemble were open to every middle-schooler from San Luis Obispo to the Nevada and Mexican borders. “This is truly a testament to the elementary music program that we have in Irvine, including our tremendous teachers,” Van Patten said. He went on to credit the Irvine Company, which in 2006 pledged more than $20 million over 10 years for enriched curriculum in music, art and science. Through the Excellence in Education Enrichment Fund, students in grades four, five and six receive two 60-minute science lessons per week, two 40-minute music lessons per week and six hour-long art lessons per year, all taught by highly qualified instructors. The company presented the latest installment of the fund back on Nov. 12, and you can check out a clip of the presentation here.