Special Area

Special Area General Information

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Join Copper Creek Band

ATTENTION COPPER CREEK!
REGISTRATION for 5th Grade Beginning Band and NEW MEMBERS of 6th Grade Advanced Band is LIVE for the 2026-2027 School Year! JOIN THE COPPER CREEK BAND TODAY!
- To read more about the CC Band program, click on the “Schedule” & “Equipped for Success” tabs above.
- Questions? Contact Mrs. Dragomir: alycia.dragomir@dvusd.org
THANK YOU for being a part of the BOBCAT BAND!

Full Bands & Instrument Sectional Rehearsals are all in the MORNING during Specials for the 26/27 school year. Every band student has at least two days of band class per week and attendance is mandatory.

Band students will be pulled 1-2 times per week Mon-Thurs. for sectional rehearsals and every Friday for a full band rehearsal.
All band students will follow their homeroom classes to the other special area classes on their non-band days. Rotating quarterly, each band student will experience the following combinations of the special area classes:
- one quarter of 2 PE classes & 1 Art class
- one quarter of 2 PE classes & 1 Music class
- two quarters of 1 PE, 1 Art & 1 Music class
Order of occurrence depends on each student's homeroom and sectional classes.
6th graders new-to-band, new-to-instrument, or those needing a bit more practice time to catch up will attend "Turbo Band" in the 1st quarter.
6th graders of any level or experience will attend “Homeroom Band” instead of Music class during the following quarters: Hill's Band 2nd quarter, Mansor's Band 3rd quarter, & Guy's Band 4th quarter.

Additionally, all band students are invited to practice BEFORE SCHOOL up to two times per week. Attendance is optional, yet highly encouraged.

1st Quarter Schedule for SY26/27:

TIME	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
Period 0 Before School Band	6th Grade Advanced/Honor Band Studies	5th/6th Grade Beginning Band Studies
Period 1 5th Grade Band	Percussion	Brass	Flutes	Reeds	FULL BAND
Period 2 6th Grade Band	Percussion	Brass	Woodwinds	Turbo Band	FULL BAND
Period 3 4th Grade Pre-Band

Equipped for Success

Instruments, Maintenance, & Learning Materials List for 5th & 6th Grade Band

The most important items include...

A QUALITY instrument with accessories in working order.
Tradition of Excellence Book 1 for the student's instrument.
A half-inch binder with page protectors.

Beginning band instrument choices include...

Woodwinds: flute, clarinet, or alto saxophone
Brass: trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone, or tuba (baritone 1st semester)
Percussion (bell-kit with drum-pad)

Choices DO NOT include violins, guitars, piano or drum-set as these instruments are NOT regular members of a concert band.

Why Music

Why Music?

Music is a Science
It is exact, experiential, and based in acoustic principals. A conductor's full score is a chart, a graph indicating various frequencies, intensities, volume changes, melody, and harmony all at once under the constant control of time. Each member gets a piece of the pie!

Music is Mathematical
Rhythmic subdivisions of time are fractions, calculated and acted upon instantaneously within the mind and subsequently, through the body. The kinesthetic and cognitive processes required by music are authentic.

Music is a Foreign Language
Music terms are in Italian, German, or French; and the notation is certainly not English - but a highly developed symbolic system, representing ideas and expressions. Music is the most complete and universal language.

Music is History
Music often reflects the environment/times of its creation, as well as the culture of the country from where it originates. Our music can be as diverse as the planet itself!

Music is Physical Education
It requires fantastic coordination of fingers, hands, arms, lips, cheeks, and facial muscles in addition to extraordinary control of the diaphragm, back, stomach, and chest muscles. These voluntary macro and micro movements respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind interprets.

Music is all these things, but most of all,
Music is ART!
It allows a human being to take all these techniques, and with personality, use them to create beauty!

MUSICAL CLASS OBJECTIVES

Our Purposes are...

To learn to READ music, FEEL music, HEAR music, and to ENRICH lives through music!

For Ensembles...

To improve the quality of VOCALISTS in CHOIRS, INSTRUMENTALISTS in BANDS and ORCHESTRAS, and PERCUSSIONISTS in all forms of music.

And most importantly, For Individuals...

To become LIFE-LONG LEARNERS of music!

Music/Choir Information

Music Program

Welcome to the Music Program at Copper Creek! I am excited to teach music to all students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Every student attends music class at least once each week, where they will have the opportunity to develop musical skills through a variety of engaging activities.

Throughout the year, students will:

Sing a variety of songs.
Learn to read and understand music notation.
Explore music from different cultures and historical time periods.
Play classroom instruments.
Use movement and creative activities to experience music in meaningful ways.

Our goal is to help every student develop a lifelong appreciation for music while building creativity, confidence, and collaboration.

Before-School Choir (Grades 4–6)

Students in grades 4–6 are invited to participate in our before-school choir! Choir rehearsals are held every Wednesday and Friday morning beginning at 7:45 a.m. in the music room.

Please note: Students may not arrive before 7:40 a.m., as there is no teacher supervision before that time.

Choir Start Date: Wednesday, August 19th

Concert Dates:

Thursday, December 3rd at 5:45 p.m.
Thursday, April 29th at 5:45 p.m.

In addition to our scheduled concerts, choir students will have other performance opportunities throughout the school year. Information about these events will be shared with families as they become available.

Choir is a wonderful opportunity for students to grow as musicians, work together as an ensemble, build confidence, and share their talents with our school community. We look forward to a fantastic year of making music together!

PE Information

Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year at Copper Creek! This year we will be doing new and exciting activities that we know you will love! We look forward to getting to know each one of you!

G GET

Y YOURSELF

M MOVING

Please make sure your child wears the appropriate clothes and sneakers on the days they have PE! Crocs, sandals, boots, high heels and flip flops are NOT appropriate PE shoes.

Art Information

Meet the Special Area Teachers

Mr. Ambrose - Music

Welcome to music! My name is Morgan Ambrose and I will be teaching music and choir at Copper Creek Elementary. I am looking forward to working with you and your child in the upcoming school year. I graduated from Grand Canyon University in May of 2015 and will begin my twelfth year of teaching. As a graduate of Deer Valley High School, I am excited to be working in the school district I attended from K-12th grade. If you have any questions, please contact me: morgan.ambrose@dvusd.org

Mrs. Tiedeman - Art

2024-2025

This will be my 12th year teaching in the Deer Valley Unified School District. I have taught art for nine of those years and two as a first grade teacher. I am looking forward to a wonderful year at Copper Creek!

My Teaching Philosophy
I intend to instill and illuminate a passion for learning and personal discovery in all of my students. I can accomplish this by approaching education through collaborative and creative methods that engage, support, nurture and challenge all who enter the classroom.

I will encourage and assist students in reaching their full potential and utilizing each individual’s extraordinary talents.

As a teacher, I will aid my students in exceeding the expectations of the curriculum, as well as creating an environment that encourages excitement around learning, community and a sense of personal pride.

I will foster a classroom where respect and kindness are of high value.

It is imperative that all students, parents and educators are involved and openly communicate with one another to achieve this lasting partnership; one that actively and productively pursues academic success and individual happiness.

I look forward to inspiring creativity and fueling students’ curiosity through exciting personal discovery, inquiry, and academic exploration.

I sincerely aim to provide an exemplary educational experience for students where their classroom is the highlight of their day and where they may share their findings around the dinner table; creating a life- long learner.

Outside of the Classroom

I enjoy photography, painting, gardening, camping, and travel. Most of all, I love curling up with a cup of coffee, reading an enticing book and spending quality time with my husband and kids.

Mr. Tiedeman - PE

My name is Jeff Tiedeman. This will be my 19th year teaching PE and health in DVUSD. I'm excited to start my first year at Copper Creek! I try to stay as active as I can. Most of my students know I play a lot of basketball and exercise and I practice what I am encouraging them to do which is be active and fit for life.

I'm from Seattle so I'm a huge fan of the Seahawks, Mariners, UW and still hoping the Sonics return some day. My family is the most important thing to me. I love spending time with my wife and kids.

Mrs. Potts - PE

Hi Bobcats!

My name is Mrs. Deann Potts, and I am SO excited to be part of the Bobcat team! I am looking forward to a fun-filled year, getting to know our students and families, and making great memories together at Copper Creek!

A little about me… I earned my bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University and am certified in K–12 Physical Education and Health. I have been teaching for 24 years, with 23 of those years right here in the Deer Valley Unified School District! I also teach Fitness Center through the Aspire Online Academy during the summer.

When I’m not teaching, I love spending time with my family. I have been married to my amazing husband, who is also a teacher, for 28 years. We have two daughters, two sons-in-law, a son, four granddaughters, and another grandchild on the way in March 2027! Our family is also complete with our French Pointer, Mae, who keeps us busy!

I enjoy traveling, being outdoors, staying active, and attending my kids’ and grandkids’ activities. I can’t wait for a NEW YEAR filled with learning, laughter, movement, and fun!

Let’s make it an amazing year, Bobcats!

Mrs. Potts

Mrs. Dragomir - Band

Mrs. Alycia Dragomir is very happy to be the band director of Copper Creek Elementary for the 8th year! As a professional musician, saxophonist and educator, she has a passion for performing and teaching a variety of genres, cultures, and sounds through instruments and voice. Her musical studies began at a young age in and around her hometown of Fargo, North Dakota, with professors from state universities, colleges, and international music camps, including Interlochen Center for the Arts. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music education from Arizona State University in 2010 and has had the honor of performing around the United States and Europe amongst world-class musicians.

Mrs. Dragomir's husband is Mr. Abel Dragomir, the director of choirs at Mountain Ridge High School. Besides collaborating in the Fine Arts programs of DVUSD, they also direct and perform with various vocal and instrumental ensembles at their church. They have 3 young sons, David, Isaiah, & Abel, who love to sing, play soccer and go swimming!

Mrs. Alycia Dragomir is thankful for the opportunity to work in a beautiful, A-rated school community and looks forward to making quality musical moments each day!