Los Gatos Weekly-Times Photograph by George Sakkestad Jim Francisco is the new band director at Los Gatos High School. LGHS band director's love of music began as a child By Shari Kaplan Jim Francisco's life is so full of music, it's no surprise his chosen profession is one in which he shares with others the art form that he loves so much. The holder of three academic degrees--bachelor's, master's and doctoral--all in the field of music education, Los Gatos High School's new band director taught for 14 years in Michigan and New York public schools and three years on the college level before coming to Los Gatos--by way of Vietnam. While working on his doctor of music education degree, Francisco took some time off to travel; one of the places in which he lived and worked was Vietnam. He was also studying Vietnamese. It was there he met Loan, the woman who would become his wife and the mother of his son and daughter. After their marriage, the couple lived first in Southern California. Because Loan had friends in the South Bay, they moved north and settled in Santa Cruz. When Francisco heard of the job opening at LGHS, he applied and got it. Francisco's love of music quite possibly began in infancy, if not sooner. His father played in a jazz band in the 1930s and his mother was the winner of several singing contests. By the fourth grade, Francisco began playing the cornet, an instrument he enjoyed and continued to play until college. He then switched to the cornet's more sophisticated cousin, the trumpet. He also plays the flute and clarinet, but neither is his specialty, he says. These days, Francisco has such a full plate at LGHS that he has no time to practise instruments at all. He directs and conducts the school's concert band--which during the fall marches and competes outside as the Wildcat Marching Band and then moves to inside venues; directs and conducts the school's jazz ensemble; teaches a music appreciation class called Sessions in Sound and is working to rebuild the school orchestra. Although only two months into his first year at LGHS, Francisco says he already sees the high potential of band students and is excited to work with a group that identifies with and enjoys music so much. "I like music on a lot of levels. Basically, I like the sound of instruments, and as a conductor, I like the sound of an orchestra. I like the self-expression of music, and as a teacher, I like experiencing the self-expression of my students. We have some great kids here," he says. "Working with high school students can sometimes be more stimulating than working with professionals, because often the students are experiencing it for the first time. Music allows people to express things they can't always put into words," Francisco says of why he finds musical pursuits, especially those involving young people, so rewarding. To that end, Francisco would like to help more like-minded students get on the same sheet of music. He says he knows there are would-be or budding musicians walking around the school halls. He says he hopes to see them next semester or next year. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, October 21, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.