The heart-warming Hollywood film “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” for which actor Richard Dreyfuss earned an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination, could have been based on Los Alamitos School District music teacher Chuck Wackerman.
In fact, the beloved Wackerman has actually been teaching music locally considerably longer than the 30-year career of Glenn Holland, the person on whom Dreyfuss’ character was based. An example of Wackerman’s legacy will take place on Saturday, March 1 at Los Alamitos High School – The 41st annual Class Notes Jazz Concert. It was created by Wackerman and is the primary fundraiser for the school districts jazz programs. It will be performed starting at 7 p.m. in the high school’s Performing Arts Center. The concert serves as a quality cultural opportunity for the community and as a showcase for the young talent in the district’s schools.
The students get a chance to share the stage with celebrated professionals, experiencing first hand the mastery and artistry that can be achieved through the years of dedicated practice and solid guidance – a lesson sure to inspire regardless of their ultimate paths of life.
Wackerman has been a teacher and director of instrumental music in the Los Alamitos and Seal Beach districts for more than 50 years.
Some of his former students have gone on to win Grammy and other awards. He created jazz education at the Los Alamitos High School in 1984 and built it into an award-winning program. He is the Director at McAuliffe Middle School.
Along with the Los Alamitos High School Jazz Bands, Oak and McAuliffe Middle Schools bands, this year, Bob Mintzer and his Big Band will perform.
Saxophonist Mintzer is a longtime member of the Grammy award winning Yellowjackets. He also leads a Grammy winning Big Band, travels with his own Quartet, and plays with numerous bands globally.
A respected educator, Minter is the recipient of the Buzz McCoy endowed chair of jazz studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He has also written books that are part of the curriculum of Jazz education worldwide.
Tickets are on sale at seatyourself.biz/losaljazz. The Los Alamitos High School campus is located at 3591 Cerritos Ave., in Los Alamitos.
