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When Richard Vaughan, who was a teacher and was the musical director at Hillview Middle School in Menlo Park for 23 years, reflects on his career, he recalls the many trips he and his students went on.
“Going on the field with my daughters who went to Hillview, for the (San Francisco) Giants and doing the national anthem with the Giants with them was wonderful,” Vaughan said, who is retiring at the end of the school year. “Going to Disneyland with them was also fun!”
Vaughan, who grew up in Portola Valley, was first hired by Hillview Middle School in 2001.
Under his leadership and with a constant push, the school built a new performance space that can be used for multiple purposes, but what excites him the most about the space is the ability to hold concerts in it.
“When they rebuilt Hillview, there were people who were going, ‘we need another gym,’” he said. “And I made a pretty concerted effort to say ‘no, we need a performance space, but one that’s flexible.’”
The space can now be used on rainy days, for science fairs, dances, theater and for concerts.
“One of the nice things that we are doing in these shows is that we incorporate the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Everyone’s doing SpongeBob right now and it’s pretty cool,” Vaughan added.
When asked about his favorite instrument, Vaughan quickly replied “cello,” adding that he had originally wanted to be part of an orchestra.
“I was a cellist before I was ever a teacher,” he said. “If you had told me when I was 25 that I was going to be a music director, I would have laughed.”
But the fulfillment he gets from teaching students about the arts and music is not lost on him.
Vaughan thinks about how he has guided students and their musical experiences which he hopes will follow them for the rest of their lives, beyond class.
Other memories he reflects on during his tenure include playing at the San Francisco City Hall and playing for then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Hillview band also played for the Giants last month, after an 11-year absence. Vaughan felt was a great send-off.
Even in retirement, Vaughan hopes to keep his local ties intact.
“I taught at Woodside Elementary for nine years. I grew up in Portola Valley, so I’m kind of a local kid,” he said. “I went to Menlo [School] and Woodside High School and I graduated from Menlo and then I taught there.”
Vaughan said he will be going back to his roots as a cellist in retirement.
“We’re building a house in Oregon and there’s a huge arts community up there and so I’m looking to make connections up there but then also keep my connections down here in terms of playing in local symphonies,” he said.
Hillview Music Alumni are invited to sit and play with their alumni ensembles at the Hillview Spring Concert, to be held Wednesday, May 1, at 6 p.m. in the Hillview PAC, 1100 Elder Ave., and/or with their 7/8 band or strings ensemble outside Bistro Vida in Menlo Park on Sunday, June 9, from 4-6 p.m. Individual performances will also be welcome on June 9 for any alumni that would like to participate.
For the May 1 concert, RSVP no later than Saturday, April 20. For the June 9 Bistro Vida event, RSVP here no later than Monday, May 20.
Email Linda at mrvretires@gmail.com to RSVP or ask questions about the upcoming performances.
Thank you to the Almanac for this opportunity to let the Woodside and Menlo Park communities know how much of an honor it has been to teach your children. I wanted to add that none of this would have been possible without the incredible support and love of my wife & best friend, Liz Matchett. We met while teaching at Woodside Elem. and got married in the school’s amphitheatre. For 30 years, she has been the rock that has kept me together and is both my inspiration and my muse. She is Rock Star educator in her own right, teaching Spanish at Gunn HS, methods classes at Stanford’s STEP program and being the Executive Director of the California Language Teacher’s Assn. She has also been an amazing mom to our two daughters, Evy and Aurora.
Again, Thank You to everyone. It has been a great adventure and I Iook forward to many new adventures in the future!