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A Conversation with James MacDonald, Head of School

From the Editor

Featured Alumni & Former Staff Wyn Williams Michael Potter Eliza Kumamoto Upcoming Events

Alumni Enjoy Food Fair

Happy 20th Anniversary Class of 1990!

Class of 2010 at a Glance

Susie Clifford - Middle School Vice-Principal

Brad Johnston- Music Teacher

Class Notes

The Quarterly Quiz

The YIS Alumni Quarterly is published electronically by Yokohama International School for the enjoyment of former students, parents and staff as well as the current school community. We welcome your comments and suggestions (contact alumni@yis.ac.jp).

Editorial Team:Bob Pomeroy

YIS Director of Advancement, Admissions and Communications

Shohei Nishihara (Class of 2004)

YIS Communications and Advancement Coordinator

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In this Issue

© Yokohama International School

The following is an excerpt from an interview with James MacDonald, who officially becomes YIS Head of School on August 1st. The full interview will be posted on the YIS website (www.yis.ac.jp) in early August.

Alumni Quarterly: Congratulations on becoming YIS’s 18th head of school. How does it feel to be taking up leadership of a school with such a long heritage?

James MacDonald: Humbling, inspiring, exciting and a whole range of other emotions too!

AQ: At age 39 it appears that you may be one of the youngest heads of school in YIS’s history. How will this inform your leadership approach for the school?

JM: Well, I am told my jokes are not those of a young person and the students who have survived my classes over the years can certainly attest to this! All kidding aside, I think being on the younger side is helpful in some respects. Notwithstanding the obvious benefits that experience brings, education is changing, and needs to change, and the educational models that have served society up to now simply are not as well aligned as they could be with the needs of today’s students. My generation of educators has the inspiring challenge of facilitating and leading this change, and YIS is already well down this path.

AQ: In addition to serving as IT director and, more recently, deputy headmaster, you’ve also taught Business Studies at YIS. Could you tell us a bit about that class and why you enjoy teaching it?

JM: I like teaching. So whether it was business studies or another subject area, I am sure I would enjoy it. But one of the attractions of business studies is that it is such a relevant subject for students. (For better or for worse, business and economics touch just about every facet of our lives today.) Teaching in an international school context like ours, I have access to a wealth of business expertise in the community and I try to tap into it. Another reason why I enjoy

A Conversation with James MacDonald, Head of School

YIS ALUMNI QUARTERLYVol. 6 / July 2010

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AQ: As head of school, one of your principal responsibilities is staff recruitment and development. What do you primarily look for when you are hiring new teachers?

JM: I look for people who have the ‘heart of a teacher’ and really care deeply about the students. Such people have a passion for their profession and often wouldn’t want to be anything other than a teacher. Of course qualifications and excellent references are essential – and I don’t want to downplay these as we don’t hire teachers without these prerequisites – but to have an excellent school our

teachers must love what they do. I would also add that as the head of school, a key role of mine is making sure that we have the sort of environment where our teachers can thrive. By creating this sort of environment, YIS will be well placed to attract and retain the best teachers.

teaching is that it helps me connect with the kids in a meaningful fashion. It also serves to provide me with first-hand experience of how school policies impact teaching and learning. I think this helps me to make better decisions that affect those inside the classroom.

Greetings from the Bluff and for those of you on summer holiday I hope that you are having an enjoyable break. Although students and teaching staff are gone for the summer break, YIS is an incredibly busy place right now. In addition to the usual sprucing up, this year we are carrying out some major building projects, including construction of a new library in the middle building, new classrooms in the main building, and an overhaul of our broadband network infrastructure. Speaking of change, on August 1 YIS officially welcomes James MacDonald as new head of school. Mr. MacDonald brings great dedication and passion for the school’s mission and an exciting vision for its future. The cover story of this issue features excerpts from an upcoming interview that will be published in full on the main YIS website in August.Also in this issue we have interviews with alumni Michael Potter (YIS 1954-1962), Eliza Kumamoto (Class of 1983 and current school counselor at YIS) and former YIS Art teacher Wyn Williams (YIS 1991 – 2004), as well as with current YIS faculty Susie Clifford and Brad Johnston. You can also read about the Class of 1990’s 20th reunion celebration in Yokohama, an overview of the YIS Class of 2010, Food Fair and more.On a sobering note, we were saddened to learn of the passing of Lillian Charlotte Bernard, mother of longtime YIS faculty member Edward Bernard and a student at YIS in its earliest days. Our condolences to Ed and his family.Until next issue, best regards,Bob Pomeroy Editor

From the Editor

Giving presentation at Bridging the Gap for Students career day

Construction scene of the new library in the middle building

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AQ: The school is carrying out some major construction projects this summer. Could you tell us about these projects and your longer term plans for development of the YIS campus?

JM: This summer we are building a new library in the middle building and completely overhauling our IT network. Locating the library in the center of the school campus and combining this space with our IT department makes sense as these are both functions shared throughout the school and are closely related in terms of information services. Having a robust IT network with capacity to handle increasing bandwidth needs is absolutely essential for a modern school like ours, and parts of our old network dated back over a decade.

These improvements also fit within the framework of our broader campus redevelopment plan, which is based upon certain key principles: optimizing use of space, grouping areas according to function, modernizing facilities, and ensuring a flexibility in design to accommodate future space needs.

AQ: We understand you have some other big initiatives with respect to academic and service activities that you would like to introduce in the coming years. Can you share some of these plans with us?

JM: If you look at the YIS mission statement, the education we provide is about much more than just academics and, at our very core and throughout our history, we have been leaders in international education. I would like to build upon this and help redefine what a modern international education should look like. The reality is that YIS provides our students with opportunities and experiences that I don’t think are being fully recognized by colleges and universities around the world. I would like to develop, with the community, a new ‘internationalist’ diploma program for our students to augment the IBDP so that when our kids apply to colleges their applications will truly stand out from the thousands of other applicants. Perhaps more importantly though, through the development of this new diploma, I believe we will have an opportunity to thoroughly examine what a YIS education should be all about and what qualities, skills and experiences our graduates should have when they leave the school. When you think of a high school senior walking across the graduation stage, who should that person be? How will he or she contribute to the world? What will be the legacy of YIS in shaping that student’s future?

AQ: What is it that makes YIS students and the YIS school culture special?

JM: I am often struck by the enduring connection YIS alumni feel towards YIS and Yokohama.

It sounds corny, but it seems that for many people they can leave YIS, but YIS never really leaves them. For me, this goes back to what makes YIS special – there is a connection within the community that defines us as a school. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I think most people can feel it and perhaps it is special because we can’t quite describe it but nonetheless know it’s there.

AQ: You have also supported efforts to enhance connections with the school’s alumni. How would you like to see alumni involved in the school community?

JM: I think the alumni, including former YIS students, staff and parents, are an outstanding, yet still underutilized resource for the school. Over the last few years we’ve been putting more effort into reconnecting with alumni and I sense these initiatives are starting to gain momentum.

As for alumni contributions, I can see numerous routes. First are the relationships alumni have with each other. I believe it is these relationships that help keep the YIS community strong. So I would encourage alumni to stay in touch with each other. Of course I hope alumni will also stay in touch with the school via the online alumni community and school website, as well as by stopping in to visit the campus when in the area.

These relationships cannot be underestimated as I think people who look fondly upon their experience at YIS will, over the long term, seek to support the school however they can. This support can and has come in numerous ways, ranging from serving as guest speakers talking to our students to helping younger alumni in the job market, providing financial support for the school through donations and offering personal and professional connections that can help the school advance its mission. There are so many ways alumni can support the school and I personally look forward to working with them to help develop these opportunities.

Visiting an elementary classroom

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Featured Alumni & Former Staff

Alumni Quarterly: When did you join YIS and what were your roles here?

Wyn Williams: I joined YIS in August 1991 to be the Head of Art. The school was smaller in those days and in my first few years I used to teach 1st Grade right through to Year 12. There are some students who had me as their Art teacher from Grades 1 -12. Poor things! They were from the class of 2003.

AQ: What have you been doing since leaving YIS?

WW: I left YIS in 2004 to work back in my hometown of Colwyn Bay in North Wales, UK. I had become the IB Coordinator in my last few years at YIS and wanted to stay working in that system. The school in Wales was just about to start the IB so my main job as IB Director was to get it going and make sure that is was a success. After five years at the school the IB was well established and my hockey team were Welsh Champions - so I guess it was time for another

challenge! Being back in the UK gave my wife, Jayne, the opportunity to go to University and get a teaching degree. After three years she got a first class pass. She worked for two years in North Wales before we came to Riyadh in September 2009. She is an elementary teacher and I am the high school principal.

AQ: How is your life in Saudi Arabia? Is there anything that you miss from Japan?

WW: Life in Saudi Arabia is very different to Japan and the UK; it is very hot for most of the year. The school is quite similar to YIS in that it has an elementary and high school together; I do like that situation. We live on a large guarded compound, which is very much like a holiday resort with swimming pools, tennis courts etc. Imagine YCAC with housing and a large wall around it! Driving in Riyadh is quite a challenge - the drivers are crazy!

I regularly think very fondly of my time in Japan and do miss many aspects of it. YIS is a special place where many fabulous people have passed through. My family would love to visit one day. Jayne and I got married at Christ Church.

I miss playing football at YCAC with Russell Brown and ‘Stan Chan’. I also miss the food but have just found a very good Sushi Bar in Riyadh! I think the main thing I miss is how friendly and tolerant the people are in Japan.

AQ: What did you focus on in teaching art at YIS?

WW: I think my favorite quote is by Pablo Picasso: “Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” I tried to give my students a lot of different experiences

beyond the traditional painting and drawing approach. Everyone can succeed in some aspect of Art whether it’s printing or sculpture etc. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching IB Art and putting on the end of year shows. Artscape was also something I looked forward to.

AQ: Are there any particular YIS student artists or exhibits that stand out in your memory?

WW: There have been so many fantastic artists that I had the pleasure to teach - so many I could mention. The class of 2003, as I mentioned, stand out to me as I had taught some of them all the way from 1st Grade, including Amelia Miller, Nicole Hayes and Yukari Takahashi. Also that year, Mrs. Inugai - Dixon took the IB Art course and was part of the final show.

AQ: Are you still practicing art yourself? What sorts of media do you work in?

WW: Sadly I have not been able to find time to do any proper Art work since being in Japan. These days I do not

Wyn Williams (Faculty 1991 - 2004)

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actually teach a great deal. If I had the chance I think I would like to do some pottery as I find that very therapeutic.

AQ: Do you have any messages for YIS alumni?

WW: I have so many happy memories of my time at YIS and the students were fantastic. I have enjoyed reading accounts of alumni in this publication. It seems that so many have enjoyed great success after graduating. I have made contact on Facebook with some. However, I may need to close my Facebook account - it seems to be a regular source of conflict between students in my school!

I would love to hear from ex-students and colleagues. My email is wynniewil@hotmail.com (I still blame Mr. Mac for this address!).

Upcoming Events

Mega Reunion Summer 2010

Please come join us for the mega-mixer reunion in Tokyo this summer. A group of alumni from international schools in Japan have come together to organize this event. The event will commemorate the Class of 1980’s 30th anniversary. Don’t miss this event! Come see friends old and new! Please contact Junko Ikoma (‘80) at jikoma@mtb.biglobe.ne.jp for details and RSVP.

Date: July 16th, 2010 (Friday)Time: 20:00~23:00Place: ROTI Roppongi Piramide Building, 1F 6-6-9 Roppongi, Minato-ku Tokyo TEL 03-5785-3671

Door Charge (Food and Drinks included): Guys / 7,000Girls / 5,000

YIS Japanese Music Program Performs at ISME World Conference

The YIS Japanese Music Program recently received two grants totaling three million yen to support its performances during the International Society for Music Education’s 29th Annual World Conference, scheduled for August 1-6, 2010, in Beijing, China. As one of only two performing groups selected from Japan, YIS Japanese Music Ensembles will perform several concerts featuring traditional Japanese instrumental music.

Swing by and listen to their performance if you have the chance to be in China!

Wyn and his familiy with a “friend“

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Alumni Quarterly: When were you at YIS and how did you come to live in Japan?

Michael Potter: I attended YIS from 1954 to 1962. I was born in Kamakura to a Japanese mother and American father. We moved to Yokohama when I was five and YIS was my first school. I was in the first class to attend the school after it was rebuilt following WWII. As a matter of fact our class started in either the Danish or Swedish Embassy until the school buildings were built.

AQ: What have you been doing since YIS?

MP: It has been over 45 years. After leaving YIS I attended Yokohama High at the US Navy facilities in Yokohama for military dependents before coming to America in 1964. I attended and graduated from Germantown High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1966. On graduating from high school I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served four years. On discharge I went to the University of California San Diego, where I received a bachelors in Business Administration.

I worked a variety of jobs, one of which was working in the news department of a local television station in Providence, Rhode Island. While there I was accepted at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and studied Broadcast Journalism. I worked in television for ten years, but was not terribly successful and left to go back to school for computer programming and began my career in information technology. I have been working in the IT field ever since. I am currently a systems analyst for State Street Corporation in Westwood, Massachusetts.

AQ: You recently visited YIS for the first time since1962. What were some of biggest changes; what seemed familiar?

MP: My recent visit to YIS was very nostalgic and there were many changes, but still much seemed very familiar.

Michael Potter (YIS 1954 - 1962)

The biggest change is the size of the school. There were only 12 of us in my class at YIS, and there were only two buildings. The buildings that make up the main campus today are laid out the same as the two original buildings. The building that was replaced by the main building today was only one story with the headmaster’s office and a few classrooms. There was a play area on the roof of that building where we had PT. The other building was the same building that is there today. It has been refurbished for sure but is basically the same, and the playground is exactly as it was back then. The surface is different and the monkey bars aren’t where they were but it is still the same. The biggest changes are the number of school buildings and grounds that the school has acquired since then. Also I am sure the curriculum is a lot different. We only had French for a foreign language, and we had to learn about British currency, which I found very difficult I remember. 20 pence to a shilling, 12 shillings to a pound, I think, and forget about all the farthings and crowns etc. I hated it!

Michael (third from left) and his YIS class in 1950’s

Michael with former school secretary Lemie Benevedes during a recent visit to YIS

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AQ: We understand that you had a hand in creating the design that is still the inspiration for the YIS school logo. Please tell us more about this.

MP: When I was in fourth or fifth grade Mr. DeHaan initiated a contest to design a logo for the school. We worked on our ideas in class and my design won. It was nearly the same as the logo today, except the ‘Y’ ‘I’ and ‘S’ were in a ribbon below the torch. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, even though we had patches and pins made from it. But since then I find it has become a point of great pride.

AQ: Do you keep in touch with any former classmates or teachers?

MP: Yes, in fact I sought out my best friend Michael Visger when I came to America, and we were lifelong friends. Unfortunately Michael passed away last year. I am still in touch with his brothers Timothy and Patrick, who also went to YIS. I have also corresponded with David Wesson who is teaching secondary school in England, Eric Davis in Minnesota and Theo Salsburg in London. When I first came to the states I did visit one of my teachers, Mrs. Latta in Virginia, but have not been in touch with any other teachers. I did correspond with Mr. Tanner when he was the headmaster there. He sent me a yearbook. He was I believe an English teacher during my time.

AQ: How has your YIS experience impacted your view on life?

MP: The lessons I learned at YIS have stayed with me my whole life. The study habits and the discipline carried me through high school and college and I am very grateful. The diversity of both students and teachers gave me the ability to relate to all kinds of peoples and cultures. Being an African American I know that I would have never been given the opportunities that I received there, considering the social climate in America at the time. I was never treated any different from any of my classmates and because of this I find that I am devoid of many of the inhibitions and hard feelings harbored by many black Americans of my generation. For this I am very grateful.

Thanks to all the alums who came to Food Fair 2010. This year, we were lucky to have beautiful sunny weather, which helped attract thousands of visitors. Proceeds from the event, which is organized each year by the Parent Teacher Association (PTSA) go to support a wide range of school activities.

Helpers at the Alumni Bar included Tina Miki, Leslie Lorimer, Lester Yoshinami-Hitachi, Jeff Stockwell and Hans Spiess. It was great to see many familiar faces and share stories.

On behalf of the Food Fair alumni team, I would like to thank all the alums who helped with the booth or just stopped to say hi. Hope to see you again next year!

Shohei Nishihara (‘04)

Alumni Enjoy Food Fair 2010

The original YIS emblem on school jacket

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worked closely with students, teachers, parents and administrators to promote and enhance students’ well-being and success by creating social-emotional programs, seeing students individually and in groups, organizing workshops and so on. This was something that did not exist at YIS at that time. I discussed the need for a school counselor at YIS with Mr. Richards, our former headmaster, and I was fortunate to get a sabbatical to study School Counseling in Boston.

AQ: Is there anything significantly different at YIS since you were a student here?

EK: Well, the school is much bigger. There is also a nice cafeteria and there are more activities. Things seem to be moving at a faster pace. There are also three school counselors at YIS!

AQ: What are some of the key challenges and rewards of your work as a school counselor?

EK: One of the challenges is to make sure that administrators, teachers, parents and students all understand our role. Sometimes people think that counselors sit in the office waiting for students with problems. Our role is to work with all students in the areas of academic achievement, personal/ social development and career development so they become well-adjusted, productive individuals.

There are many rewards but one of the biggest rewards is seeing students make positive changes and feel happier having worked through issues together. I enjoy my work as the elementary school counselor very much.

AQ: In addition to counseling, you are involved in music activities. What do you do?

EK: I taught ELC music for the last two years. ELC children always give me energy and make me happy Also, I help out with the Japanese Music Program. The Hogaku group is going on a concert tour to China in July. This is their third international tour. Music is my hobby and I am lucky that I can be involved with these programs at YIS.

Alumni Quarterly: When did you first come to YIS and how long were you a student here?

Eliza Kumamoto: I came to YIS when I was in high school and stayed for grades 11 and 12.

AQ: What did you do after graduating from YIS?

EK: I went to International Christian University in Tokyo and majored in Psychology and minored in Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language. After graduating from ICU, I came to YIS to teach Japanese and Spanish. After four years at YIS, I went to Stanford University to do my graduate studies in Bilingualism. Then I taught at the American School in Japan for two years and returned to YIS and taught Psychology and Japanese. By that time I was interested in counseling. YIS offered me two years of sabbatical to go to Boston to do my masters in Counseling. Since then I’ve been back at YIS as the elementary school counselor.

AQ: How did you decide to pursue counseling as your career?

EK: I didn’t know much about school counseling until I worked at ASIJ, as I had not been at schools where there were qualified school counselors. The counselors at ASIJ

Eliza Kumamoto (YIS 1981 - 83, Current School Counselor)

1990

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On June 27th, Hiroaki Fujita (‘90) and Takeshi Thornton (‘90) organized a Class of 1990 20th Anniversary Reunion in Yokohama. More than

20 people, including friends and family of alumni gathered together to celebrate this event.

The 1990 alums first met at the main entrance of the YIS campus. There were smiles everywhere since many had not seen each other for more than 20 years! Some came as far from San Francisco, Hawaii, Norway and the UK. All were very curious to see how YIS has changed over the years, so we started with a tour around campus. Many were surprised to see the “new” buildings, playground, and cafeteria. We also had a tea ceremony at one of the meeting rooms to celebrate everyone’s return to YIS.

Afterwards, the group assembled at the Zou no Hana Pier, where we boarded a boat for a Yokohama Harbor cruise, motoring out to the Bay Bridge and cruising around Yamashita and Minatomirai. Those who hadn’t been back to Japan for a while were excited to see many changes to the city’s waterfront. The weather was gorgeous too!

Later, we had dinner in Chinatown and were entertained with a DVD prepared by Takeshi, that featured the graduation of the class of 1990. After the meal, we had drinks at “Windjammer,” a bar owned by Mark Stockwell’s (’90) family. In the bar, more than 15 alums from diverse class groups were waiting to celebrate the day!

Many thanks to Hiroaki and Takeshi for organizing this memorable event. Congratulations and keep in touch!

Shohei Nishihara (‘04)

Happy 20th Anniversary! Class of 1990

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Class of at a Glance

Family and friends gathered in the gymnasium on June 10th to celebrate the 37th YIS High School graduation ceremony. Kanagawa governor Shigefumi Matsuzawa delivered the commencement address and the ceremony, which was live broadcast over the Internet, featured entertaining interludes showcasing the musical, dramatic and artistic talents of the students. It was noted that among those crossing the stage was the 1,000th person to graduate from YIS high school! Congratulations to everyone in the Class of 2010 and welcome to the YIS Alumni Community.

Graduates: 59

Nationalities: 21 countries

University destinations: Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, UK, USA

Planned university studies: Anthropology, Applied Economics, Applied Psychology, Architecture, Art & Design, Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedicine, Business & Finance, Civil Engineering, Chemistry, Communication Culture & IT, Education, Engineering, History, International Business, International Relations, Liberal Arts, Law, Linguistics, Japanese, Management & Marketing, Marketing Communications, Media & Digital Design, Medical Anthropology, Medicine, Musical Performance, Philosophy, Psychology, Physiotherapy, Political Science, Social Anthropology, Sports Medicine, Visual Arts

Gap year plans: Intern for film production company, language study, overseas community service, English teaching, intern at design company, study to become ski instructor

Career aspirations: Actress/model, athletic trainer, creative director, designer, doctor, entrepreneur, engineering consultant, english teacher, fashion merchandizing, filmmaker, financial consultant, graphic designer, international businessperson, journalist, law enforcement officer, musician, interpreter/translator, pharmacist, physiotherapist, politician, psychologist, science teacher, screenwriter, surgeon

2010

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curriculum, pastoral care and day-to-day management. With the implementation of the MYP, I will be working closely with staff and students so the program helps us continue to make the middle school at YIS a wonderful teaching and learning environment.

AQ: Some people consider the middle school years to be especially challenging. What draws you to working with young adolescents?

SC: It can be a difficult time for adolescents, as they face many challenges at this stage of life. I enjoy the students’ sense of fun, willingness to take risks, ability to discuss issues and concerns that arise and, on the most part, their positive attitudes. It is enjoyable to be a part of the journey for these students, as they change so much from the beginning of grade six, to the end of grade eight. We laugh a lot in our classes, and seeing them develop their skills and knowledge is very rewarding.

AQ: When not busy at school, what do you like to do in your free time?

SC: I love to spend time with my family. I have two little boys so we spend a lot of time in parks, at playgrounds, looking for bugs and discovering new things about the world. Being with my family is my favorite way to spend time. I do love reading, movies and traveling.

Alumni Quarterly: What is your background and what brought you to YIS?

Susie Clifford: I have been teaching for 17 years, and have taught in various places around the world. Prior to coming to Yokohama, I was in my hometown, Adelaide. After three years there it was time to go out and be in a different part of the world again. My husband and I had spent three years in China and love Asia. Japan had been at the top of our list of places to go for a few years, and we were excited when the opportunity to work here came up. We love living in Yokohama.

AQ: YIS will introduce the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) beginning in August. How will this impact the middle school culture?

SC: The MYP provides a framework for teaching and learning. Intercultural awareness, communication and holistic learning are central to the program – which means students can develop skills, knowledge and understandings academically, as well as becoming informed and responsible global citizens. It will enhance the culture we already have in the middle school, as so many students are aware of how they can make the world a better place. The aim is for students to leave the middle school as independent learners who are confident to face the challenges and opportunities life presents.

AQ: The middle school vice-principal is a new position at YIS. Please tell us more about your role.

SC: It is an exciting role with the interesting changes that are taking place at YIS. My role will be to work very closely with middle school principal John Snowball on

Susie Clifford – Middle School Vice-Principal

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Given the opportunity be exposed to a more complex musical curriculum and to develop their skills as musicians, the students have excelled. Several students have continued to study music after leaving YIS and the overall level of musicianship has been very high.

I feel so lucky to be have been asked to develop these programs as I not only love discussing music every day, but I have always felt that middle and high school music curriculums were outdated and limiting because they were usually focused on performing and not on the creation of music. I realize it is important to have a quality performing group for school functions, but music programs weren’t introducing other areas of music development that make up a large part of the current and future entertainment industry. It has been a great chance for me to use my professional knowledge as a musician to help design a curriculum that would better match the current job market and music and media industry.AQ: You’ve worked as a professional musician. What sorts of bands have you played with and what led you to teaching?

BJ: I was classically trained in Canada beginning when I was six. I had a private teacher who taught me not only great technique and how to read and write music but also how to play all of the instruments in the percussion family, not just the drum set. Because of this excellent training I received at an early age I was able to audition for the local symphony in Kitchener-Waterloo where I grew up when I was only 12 years old. It is recognized as one of the best symphony orchestras in Canada and gave me a huge boost as an individual performer and as an artist.

From there I started performing with shows such as Broadway musicals, the Ice Capades, Ringling Brothers Circus, TV and radio programs, and also recording movie sound tracks. It wasn’t until later that I started recording as part of a band or act. I also started playing jazz with a great piano trio led by the late Pat Ludwig and landed the chair driving the Johnny Kostigan Big Band. What a great experience that was. Playing drums in a big band is kind of like driving a mac truck through a snowstorm. You have to have your wits about you and your ears wide open.

AQ: How did you get involved in the music technology field?

BJ: Learning music technology became a necessity and part of my day-to-day life in the early 1980’s when Midi (musical Instrument Digital Interface) and the first Apple computer came out. Midi, which allowed one piece of midi music equipment to “communicate” with another, opened up a whole new world for me as a composer and performer. I was able to play information into a computer and have it play back the same way as I input it. More importantly it also allowed me to make it better by making corrections. The electronics have been getting better and cheaper ever since and now there are thousands of music software programs for musicians to use to create and edit their music.

Alumni Quarterly: When did you first come to YIS and what have you been teaching?

Brad Johnston: The first time I visited YIS was in 2005 when I was asked to help out with the concert band, jazz band, band classes and to start a percussion ensemble. My daughter was a student here and I had known the band director Mr. Riley for many years as a professional musician. I had been working as a full time musician since I was a teen and although I often led workshops and lessons for schools, I never considered becoming a full time educator.

The following year I was approached by the school to see if I was willing to help start a middle school music technology course. For me this was an exciting opportunity and I was given the recording studio space

to develop a new method and curriculum to add to the YIS

music program.

My second year I accepted a full time position as music

educator and I was given the green light

to develop the current “Broadcast Media and Design” course

available to grade 10 students as well as develop

a curriculum for IB Music for grade 11

and 12 students.

I also teach IB Music and it is possibly the most rewarding for me as a mentor. The IB course

addresses many of the key concepts introduced in most university music programs.

Brad Johnston – Music Teacher

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1970s

1978Pia Hazelhoff (YIS 1975-1978)Currently living in Winter Park, Florida (suburb of Orlando) with my significant other, Tony, and my two children (from first marriage), Thalia (14yrs) and Jonathan (20yrs). We moved to Florida in 2000 from Cancun, Mexico, where we had lived for 12 yrs. Six years ago my husband Jon very sadly passed away, but we have managed to move forward and have achieved happiness once again in our lives. I work as a Front Desk Manager in a small boutique hotel in a lovely old neighborhood (see parkplazahotel.com) and spend the rest of my time happily playing the role of homemaker, when I’m not on the tennis court. Daughter Thalia, following in mom’s footsteps, is playing and competing in tennis tournaments, and getting ready to try out for the high school team next school year. Tony manages an airport contract company that handles baggage systems and security. The company has over 200 employees at Orlando Int’l airport. Would love to hear from old friends and ex YIS’ers who are in the area!!

2000s

2005

Matthew Brandt (YIS 2001 – 2005)I have graduated from the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, in Lausanne, Switzerland, with a B.Sc. International Hospitality Management. As a Swiss citizen (as of 2009) I am required to attend military service and will enter into duty on the 5th of July as a kitchen chef! My service will last 300 days, and then I am a free man (until I start working that is). Hope all my classmates and former teachers are in good health and perhaps there will be a class reunion at some point this year. All the best to everyone!

2006Arisa Safu (YIS 1996 - 2006)I just graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor’s in Science, and I am back in Japan now, playing music! I play with a band, and we call ourselves: Arisa Safu and the Rovers. Last year we participated in the Global Battle of the Bands and came in 2nd place at the national finals. This year, we are playing at the Avalon stage at the biggest festival held in Japan, the Fuji Rock Festival!

2010s

2015Sana Iwashita (YIS 2006 - 2009)Hi! This is Sana. I hope everyone is doing well. I sometimes hear news of Japan in Australia! Some very interesting. I am performing in an Inter-house athletics carnival next week and a dance show this week. The show is going to be about Alice in Wonderland. I miss everyone a lot and hope you are doing well!

Class Notes This section offers a chance to update fellow alums on what you’ve been doing since school days at YIS, share recent news and noteworthy accomplishments, or send a message to classmates. Entries are listed by class year, that is, the year of graduation from High School, whether at YIS or elsewhere. To submit a Class Notes entry for the next issue of the YIS Alumni Quarterly, please go to http://alumni.yis.ac.jp/?page=CN. Don’t forget to include your name, class year (i.e., the year you graduated from high school at YIS or elsewhere), and the years that you attended YIS. Please feel free to send a recent photo too.

Arisa Safu (second from left) (‘06)

Matthew Brandt (‘05)

AQ: What sorts of vistas are new technologies opening up for music students at YIS?

BJ: The computer has allowed educators to introduce composition to young musicians at a much younger age. Before the advent of the computer it was very difficult to teach music composition in middle and high school. Students had to first concentrate their efforts on studying music theory and harmony before composition could be introduced. It was therefore more or less abandoned as a part of the music curriculum until the student entered college. Composition is now a major area of discovery for younger students and this in turn helps them recognize, understand and create music of their own as well as other composers. It is much easier to study musical form for

instance if you are creating music yourself and can see first-hand how music is structured and formed.

In addition, using the new technology a musician or composer can collaborate with someone on the other side of the world in real time and create music together in real time. No need to wait until you fly around the world to meet up in a studio. You can work from wherever you are and connect through the Internet. This sharing of ideas over the internet, coupled with the ability to buy music online, has created a multi-billion dollar industry that young composers, producers, directors, technicians, and musicians can be a part of now, while they are at YIS. I have started working with a young composer in middle school who has composed

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several compositions that I am sure other students and educators around the world would love to perform. We are looking at the best way to promote and distribute his original compositions online.

AQ: Tell us about the percussion ensembles at YIS.

BJ: This year we had two percussion ensembles. One was made up of students from the middle school that performed all original material. We also have a senior group for high school students that have been running for four years, and its members have performed many different styles of pieces. The most popular have been modern compositions that use household goods as instruments. We performed a couple pieces loosely based on the New York performance group called “Stomp”. Instruments have included poles, buckets, and brooms to create a modern and interesting sonic presentation that is not only music but entertainment as well.

AQ: What do you think of the general level of musicianship among YIS students?

BJ: I was pleasantly surprised at the level and quality of young musicians at YIS. In general, young performers are getting a much higher level of education than what was available when I went to school. I think the YIS music program is well rounded and offers students an unusual opportunity to perform and develop their music skills

on many different levels. We have the band and choral programs that have been at the center of music education globally for many years. There is also the Tanner Community Ensemble that is available for classically minded music students as well as some very unique programs that include the Japanese music program and of course my own music technology program. It is rare to find such a modern and broad music program in any school, especially at the middle and high school level. Our YIS students and community all benefit from the programs offered.

The correct answers from the previous Quarterly Quiz regarding Food Fair years were 1) 1976 2) 1988 3) 2008. Sorry, we have no winner this time!

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The Quarterly QuizLook familiar? The first person to correctly identify YIS mascot Smokey’s year of birth will win a YIS coffee mug. Send responses to alumni@yis.ac.jp with the words “Quarterly Quiz” in the subject line.

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Brad with middle school music technology students in the YIS studio

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