Meet Mr. Bores
Hello current and future Hopkins Hawks!
My name is Mr. Bores (he/him/his). I am excited to be joining William Hopkins Middle School in the 2026-2027 school year to serve as Director of Bands & Orchestras as well as administer the Elementary Music at Hopkins program. I hold a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Washington State University where I studied K-12 instrumental and general music education and double bass.
I grew up primarily in Castro Valley. When I was in middle and high school, I moved back and forth from the California Bay Area and the Washington state Puget Sound area. As a student in both regions, I participated in all sorts of performing arts activities. From musical theatre, to choir, to marching & concert band, and my home in orchestra, I fell in love with creating music and performing at a very young age. Music was always the activity where I could find a place in the school community, and make lasting friendships.
In college, I studied K-12 music education with an emphasis in instrumental music. There, I also took applied lessons in double bass and instrumental conducting. I served as principal bass in the WSU Symphony Orchestra throughout my undergraduate career, and also played with their Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Opera Workshop.
After graduating, I worked as a vocal and orchestral director for Rosebud Children’s Theatre Conservatory in Federal Way, WA. I then taught elementary general music and middle school band at an option K-8 school in Seattle, WA. Finally, before joining Hopkins, I served for four years as the Band & Orchestra Director at Renton High School in Renton, WA.
In addition to teaching, I held a 5-year position as a bassist in the Washington Wind Symphony, and performed in various other settings; often gigging in musical theatre or as a sub musician in local ensembles.
So, why Hopkins?
As a teacher, two primary goals have always driven me:
- To provide students with meaningful musical experiences that they will remember for a lifetime; and
- To serve as a mentor and guide to show students that they are capable of more than they could ever imagine.
As a student, I often struggled with things outside of my control. Music was my anchor, my outlet, and my motivation for achieving not just creatively & socially, but in all areas of academia. For me, it is an honor and a privilege to return to the Bay Area to give that feeling back to students in a community close to the one I grew up in.