Teacher Takes Music Program to Next Octave : John Werth’s Bands at Ventura High School Earn Lofty Praise

“Stop,” John Werth said. Baton in hand, he shook his head back and forth. “Every time we play, it gets a little slower. Let’s try again.”

The 30-piece wind ensemble began its rendition of a Bach prelude and fugue one more time.

“Stop. Stop. Stop,” the Ventura High School music teacher interrupted again. “Come on saxophones, learn your part.”

Then, turning toward the drummer, he said, “You are a beat late, which is not acceptable under any circumstances.”

The seemingly harsh words were delivered gently and accompanied by Werth’s broad smile. And while the students were taking their work seriously, they were clearly enjoying the class and the atmosphere of mutual respect.

The results are not too bad either.

In less than two years, Werth, 32, has turned a struggling music program into one of the best and most complete in the county. In another year, Werth hopes it will be second to none.

And his dream may come true.

This year, Ventura High has two students in the all-state band, one in the all-Southern California band and 10 in the Ventura County High School honor band, including more first- and second-chair musicians than any other school in the county.

Students and parents are beginning to notice. About a dozen students who were supposed to enroll at Buena High chose Ventura High because of its music program.

“They didn’t offer orchestra at Buena,” said Krista Furman, a sophomore violin player who transferred to Ventura during her freshman year. Krista, who is considering a career teaching music, said about Werth: “He’s a great teacher. I have learned a lot from him.”

And Werth is a busy man.

During first period he conducts the wind ensemble, a concert band with his best students. Third period used to be free, but Werth decided to start a string ensemble--the only one in the western part of the county--on his own time. Fourth period will find him conducting the choir. Fifth, another concert band and drum line. Sixth, pageantry.

And after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he conducts the jazz band. Werth also started a self-paced music theory class on his own time. In the fall, the days begin at 7 a.m. with marching band practice.

“He makes space for everyone,” said Rose Messina, whose son Justin plays in the marching band. “He has made this a complete music department.”

*

Werth said the improvement in his students’ performance has to do with his decision to move rehearsals indoors.

“Rather than emphasizing the marching band, I went to an indoor concert band year-round,” Werth said. Indoors there are more opportunities to focus on improving quality, Werth said. “It raised the standards overall.”

Kristen Judy, a senior who plays flute, noticed the change.

“The marching band wasn’t going anywhere,” Kristen said. “Now, we improve every day. We are working on harder pieces and it’s more challenging than it used to be. It’s a big improvement.”

But if going indoors helped raise the standards, Werth’s approach to music and teaching may have something to do with it too.

“To a large extent, music directors are responsible for the decline in music quality,” Werth said. “We have let music become an activity. My philosophy is that music is an art.”

With the students he is gentle but demanding.

Werth says that he doesn’t accept students’ errors when he knows they can play a piece correctly. On the other hand, he said, “Anything students do right once, you can expect them to do right later.”

Students noticed.

“He is not interested in second best,” said Heather Jiroch, a junior who plays the flute in the wind ensemble. “He makes us want to make music--not just play the notes.”

In the middle of a rehearsal with the string ensemble, Werth stopped. Leaving the podium, he walked over to work with the bass player who was having trouble with a difficult passage.

“If you make a mistake, just wipe it out of your mind and move on,” Werth said.

For five minutes, he worked with the bass player individually, slowing down the tempo, then gradually speeding it up.

“Mr. Werth gives us a lot of understanding,” Kristen said. “He treats us as musicians, not as children.”

That treatment has made Werth a popular guy. Not only do students enjoy his classes, but during break many return to his music room.

Werth began playing the clarinet in the eighth grade. His college career took him all over the western United States. He spent two years at UC Santa Cruz studying computer science, two more years at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, and finally two years at the University of Oregon in Eugene, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in math.

*

In Oregon, Werth began playing in the wind ensemble where he met his wife, Julie, also a clarinet player and now a music teacher at Balboa Middle School in Ventura.

Werth continued his work in math, getting a masters at Western Washington University and starting doctoral work at UC Santa Barbara.

But in his spare time, Werth would pick up instruments from thrift stores, refurbish them, play them for a while and sell them. Eventually, his love of music won out over his love of math.

“I was practicing more than I was studying,” Werth said. He decided to go to Cal State Northridge where he received a bachelor’s degree in music and a teaching credential.

“He is an excellent musician,” said Bob Barnum, a retired music teacher who taught at De Anza Middle School in Ventura for 13 years and at Balboa for 19. “I saw John [Werth] in action when he was a student-teacher in Simi Valley. I was impressed by his musicianship.”

Barnum recommended Werth to Ventura High Principal Henry Robertson, who was in need of a music teacher, and Werth landed his first job teaching music in 1994.

“He has built the music program dramatically,” Robertson said. “Every indication is that it will continue to grow.”

*

FYI: The Ventura High wind ensemble, string ensemble, jazz band, concert band and choir will play at 7 p.m. March 21 at Ventura High School Auditorium. The evening will include works by Bach, Mozart, Ralph Vaughan Williams and more. The concert is free, but donations to benefit the music department are welcome. For information, call 641-5022.