Woodbridge High’s New Band Director
After beloved band director Mr. Carder retired from his position last year, Mrs. Matalavage took over his position in the 2021-2022 school year.
Woodbridge Band was led by former director Mr. Carder from 2005-2021. After many years of service he finally decided to retire, but not without leaving someone to succeed him as the next band director. Mrs. Matalavage was hired as the new director, and when asked about her feelings about the job, she responded, “I’m really excited to not have to tell kids to stop picking their nose anymore!”
Teaching band was not always Matalavage’s dream; she recalls wanting to be a pastry chef until her 9th grade high school band teacher suggested becoming a director. After changing career paths and finishing college, Matalavage went on to teach music at Sullie and Jenkins elementary schools for four years.
Before leaving Woodbridge, Carder brought Matalavage in early last year to teach her the ropes. Even after retiring Carder still contacts her, giving her advice if she ever were to need it.
“Mr. Carder has been a great mentor and is always willing to help. He loves the kids and would like to see them succeed.” Matalavage explained.
Matalavage has expressed her goals for years to come regarding the band department. The aspirations she has for her students’ learning include strengthening their formal skills, their details for music, and the way they approach music overall.
“There’s a strong tradition of excellence already and I want to keep it alive.” she stated.
Many are impressed with how well she has adjusted from teaching elementary kids to high school students. Band students expect the program to remain as strong as it was with Mr. Carder and they have full trust in Matalavage to keep the tradition alive. Clarinet player, Jay Ferret, claims that she is “doing great for her first year,” and the bass clarinet section leader also believes that she is “an excellent band director.”
“I could tell from the first day that Mrs. Matalavage was the perfect band director for Woodbridge,” trumpet player Ben Paras expressed. He and many others are excited to keep learning under Mrs. Matalavage for the years to come.
Even after Mr. Carder’s retirement, the band is flourishing under Mrs. Matalavage’s guidance as shown in their latest competition. On Saturday 25th the band department headed to Patriot High School and performed “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “This is Me”, “Born This Way”, and “You Can’t Stop the Beat”, earning themselves a superior ranking. This exciting win shows promise for successful band achievements for years to come.
