Joslynne Blasdel

 

Director: Instrumental Music

Department Chair: Visual & Performing Arts / Technical Education 

 

Miss Blasdel received her Bachelor of Music Degree and Teaching Credential from California State University, Long Beach; and her Master of Arts Degree from the American Band College at Southern Oregon University.

 

Miss Blasdel has been teaching instrumental music at Woodbridge High School for more than 30 years; and has been honored by the Irvine Unified School District as Teacher of the Year. She is the department chair for the WHS Visual and Performing Arts / Technical Education Department, and each year she mentors more than 400 students in her award-winning program.

 

In addition to her responsibilities at WHS, Miss Blasdel is an active member of the California Band Directors Association, the California Music Educators Association, the California Orchestra Directors Association, the National Association for Music Education, the American String Teachers Association; and the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association, where she served a two-year term as Vice President of High School Honor Groups, and continues to adjudicate for marching band and instrumental music festivals.

 

Miss Blasdel continues to perform on French horn and percussion, as well as guest conduct for many Southern California music productions. She is extremely honored that the Woodbridge High School Music Department was selected as the 2016 National GRAMMY Signature School.

 

 

 

Brad Harris

 

Director: Instrumental Music

Director: Color Guard

Director: Musical Technical Theater

 

Mr. Harris received his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from California State University, Long Beach. He is currently completing his Master of Arts Degree from the American Band College at Southern Oregon University.

 

Mr. Harris has been an Instrumental Music Director at Woodbridge High School for over 20 years. In addition to Instrumental Music, he serves as the Director for Color Guard, as well as the Director for Musical Technical Theater. Mr. Harris is very proud of all that the performing arts department has achieved and the fact that the music department was honored as the 2016 National GRAMMY Signature School. 

 

Throughout his educational experience, he played professionally at Knott’s Berry Farm, Queen Mary, Disneyland and toured throughout the country with Americus Brass Band. During this time, he recorded numerous movies and television shows, including Disney’s Hidalgo, Glory, Gettysburg, and the Imax film The Alamo, currently playing at The Alamo.

 

After graduating, Mr. Harris landed a musician lead spot with Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom Korps. A few years later he wanted to follow his second love – Landscape Architecture and received his Master of Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona. Some of his well-known projects include streetscape design for Ladera Ranch and project management for Cicero Ranch in Temecula. In 2001 he rejoined the Disneyland Resort team as an Entertainment Manager and has received many awards for his hard work.

 

In addition to teaching at WHS, for the past 30 years Mr. Harris has been touring the United States with Americus Brass Band and instructing color guards throughout Southern California. America's Brass Band recently developed a new show, Top Brass, in which he plays four different instruments.

 

Mr. Harris currently serves on the SCSBOA Board of Directors as Board President of High School Education for all Southern California. He and his wife, Gwen have three sons of college and high school age that keep them both very busy enjoying an active family life of sports, music, and travel.

 

 

 

Hanne Schmidt

 

Director: Dance

 

Mrs. Schmidt received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Brigham Young University.

 

During her time at BYU, she was a member of the Cougarettes, a National Championship winning team with the National Dance Alliance. While a Cougarette, she performed at nationally televised football and basketball games, Utah Jazz games, and at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Salt Lake 2002)

 

Upon returning to California, she danced professionally - through the streets of the Disneyland Resort, for the Crystal Cathedral, for Mattel as a singing and dancing Barbie, on the Rick Thomas Magic Show and even recently was seen dancing and singing for the GEM Theater in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She has worked with dancers at many Orange County high schools and studios; and has choreographed musicals for University High School, Edison High School, Orange County Children's Theatre, Creative Kids Playhouse Surf City and local churches.

 

Mrs. Schmidt taught in the competitive and recreational programs at Focus Dance Center for 16 years prior to returning to Woodbridge, her high school alma mater, in 2018 where she accepted the role of Dance Director for WHS Performing Arts program and the WHS Dance Company.

 

 

 

Jim Blackett

 

Director: Vocal Music

Director: Instrumental Music

 

Mr. Blackett received his Bachelor of Arts from Occidental College and his music teaching credential from CSU Long Beach, where he served as the assistant conductor of the University Choir.

 

Mr. Blackett was excited to join the music department faculty at Woodbridge High School in the summer of 2021, taking on the role of Vocal Music Director and assisting with Instrumental Music strings classes.  

Prior to his arrival at WHS, he taught elementary and middle school music for IUSD and as a student teacher he taught at Irvine High School and Venado Middle School.  

 

Mr. Blackett has great love for musical theatre. Some of his favorite credits include Little Women, Freaky Friday and Bring It On at Irvine High School as well as School of Rock and Chicago at Village Theatre in Seattle.

 

 

 

Avery Smith

 

Director: Instrumental Music

 

 

Ms. Smith earned her Bachelor of Music Education from Concordia University, Irvine. She is currently working on her Master of Music degree at American Band College.

 

Avery is active in the music performance and production worlds. She recently recorded saxophone for an upcoming album featuring Michael Jackson’s drummer, Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett, and in 2021, received her first engineering credit on the esteemed Pete Escovedo’s album, Rhythm of the Night.

 

Avery performs often on saxophone and bassoon with jazz combos, alternative rock bands, singer-songwriters, and classical ensembles. She is often featured as a soloist at the Newport Beach, Pacific Club and has performed at historic venues including the Viper Room, the Troubadour, and the House of Blues.

 

In Fall of 2021 and 2022 Avery was featured at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as a saxophone soloist with Concordia University, Irvine as well as in Concordia's 2022 PBS Christmas Special. She participated as a vocalist in Concordia University Irvine’s MasterWorks performances of Mendelssohn's Elijah and Handel’s Messiah. She also had the honor of joining the esteemed Concordia Choir on their performance tour to Spain and Portugal in the summer of 2023.

 

Avery loves to make music with friends, travel, surf, rock climb and go to concerts. She is proud to be a music director at the Woodbridge High School, a National GRAMMY Signature School in Irvine, California, teaching in the instrumental, choral, and technical theatre departments.