 | Thoughts from Bill Wightman, Director of Instrumental Music and Music Technology
Our Mission: To foster and inspire a willingness to explore the unleashed creative potential in each student so they might discover and take joy in their artistic contribution and the development of skills necessary for the same.
It has been my belief that a key aspect of an arts education is instilling the realization that each of us has something important to contribute. Something that is magnificent. Each of us has a unique perspective of his or her world that is worthy of consideration and expression. Through the development of an artistic discipline, students find the courage and confidence to share their perspective with others, becoming artists.
As Marianne Williamson puts it, Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?...There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. |
| |  William 'Bill' WightmanFine Arts Department Chair 603-735-6248 A graduate of the acclaimed Berklee College of Music, Bill majored in
composition, arranging and performance. For more than 30 years, he has
worked throughout New England and New York as a Producer, Director,
Musician and Educator in the fields of Musical Theatre, Solo and
Ensemble Performance, Instrumental Instruction, and Arts Administrative
Management. Additionally, he has been a member of the NH State Arts
Council Roster of Artists-in-Residence since 1998 with a special focus
on composition and performance in Jazz and in Children’s Theatre and
Music.
He continues to produce, among the many programs he has conducted
throughout his career, his Jazz On a Sunday Afternoon (JOSA) series,
now in its 16th year, where he and his JOSA Ensemble perform with
internationally renowned performing jazz artists. Bill recently
produced and recorded a jazz CD that features his work at the piano and
his JOSA Ensemble with a special appearance by JOSA feature, Greg
Abate, 2005 Grammy Award nominee for “Best Jazz Instrumental Solo” and
“Album of the Year.” His students at Proctor took part in observing the
engineering and musical performances during the recording and are
regularly invited to attend these JOSA sessions. Proctor students, in
addition to experiencing some of the finest music of its kind, are
often asked to “sit-in” with the ensemble creating an unparalleled
educational experience.
The courses he offers at Proctor include two levels of Jazz/Rock
Ensembles with focus on jazz theory and improvisation, a Classical
Ensemble, two levels of Recording, and Instrumental Instruction for
woodwinds, brass, strings, guitar, piano, percussion, and vocals.
Additionally, he offers opportunities for student-created ensembles
where he coaches repertoire development and performance preparation.
Bill’s students at Proctor enjoy performing on and off campus during
their school career and have gone on to attend music colleges including
Berklee College of Music.
Bill lives in Sunapee, NH and, in addition to his dedicated
time at Proctor, enjoys civic involvement and work on various town and
area committees, often allowing for student musicians at Proctor the
opportunity to perform at a variety of area events. |
 Kristofer JohnsonDirector of Vocal Music and Musical Theater Kris holds the Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the
Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the Master of Music in Choral
Conducting from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. At
Proctor, he conducts the Chamber Choir and Alice Fowler singers in
addition to teaching studio voice. He is the music director for the
musical theater productions and teaches courses in Music Theory and
Music History. Kris also serves on the voice faculty of Plymouth State
University, and he is the assistant music director of the New Hampshire
Master Chorale.
The Proctor choirs have been heard on tour in the eastern
United States and Great Britain. Singers from Kris' studio have been
accepted into the nation's leading universities and schools of music as
well as finalists in regional and national singing competitions.
Before moving to New Hampshire, Kris taught at Vanderbilt
University's Blair School of Music, Oberlin's Vocal Academy for High
School Students (where he is currently assistant director), and
Canterbury School. In 2006, he was awarded an internship with the
National Association of Teachers of Singing Intern Program at the
University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. Kris is an
active recitalist, tenor soloist and choral/vocal clinician.
Kris lives in Andover with his wife, Janine and their two Chinook dogs. He is interested in cooking, hiking, and literature. |
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