Music Director Ronald Wakefield, OFS

Ron Wakefield's Musical Journey

From successful clarinetist to inspiring music teacher, Ron Wakefield's dedication and exceptional work have left a lasting impact on students and the community.

Music director Ron Wakefield's journey began in 1990, when he left a prestigious career as a successful and professional clarinetist to become a middle school music teacher at North Park Middle School in Pico Rivera, California. Within three years, his exceptional work and dedication earned him a spot as a national finalist in the Walt Disney American Teacher Awards in 1993.

Under Ron's leadership, the North Park Middle School Band reached great heights. They became the first middle school band to be invited to perform in the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1997, and again in 2005. Their success continued nationally, with invitations to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2000, 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2017. Besides the band program, Ron developed other music classes at North Park Middle School, including classical guitar, piano, and string orchestra. The music program was achieving great success in both marching competitions and in concerts.

In 2000, Ron experienced a profound spiritual awakening, leading him to convert to Catholicism. With a renewed sense of purpose, he dedicated himself to serving the most marginalized. He led the middle school band to perform at orphanages, hospitals, and convalescent homes across Los Angeles and the country, establishing music programs in different locations. In 2017 at Carnegie Hall, he also included children from an orphanage in Cuernavaca, Tijuana and a children's chorus from New York. He always incorporated his great devotion to Mother Mary into his work, creating memorable moments such as having the band perform "Immaculate Mary" and march with flags and roses, symbolizing the rosary at the Rose Parade.

Ron Wakefield's journey led him to the Secular Franciscan Order, where he professed his vows in 2006. His deep faith and commitment to service inspired him to make pilgrimages to Mexico City, Lourdes, and Fatima, further strengthening his calling to serve the most vulnerable.

In 2009, North Park Band accompanied with alumni and a homeless girl, performed at the Great Wall of China and in orphanages in Shangai. Their success continued and in 2017, North Park Middle School changed it's name to "North Park Academy of the Arts". A new Music Hall was also built, which was dedicated to Ron Wakefield for his exceptional work and dedication to his students and community, officially called the "Ron Wakefield Music Hall".

In 2018, Ron brought his vision and passion to Orquesta Guadalupana. Many of the children in the orquesta have faced significant hardships in their young lives, and the program offers them a transformative opportunity to find hope, purpose, and joy through music. Under Ron's guidance, Orquesta Guadalupana Baja California continues to thrive, bringing the gift of music to a community in need and empowering its young members to achieve their full potential. "My goals are not to create professional musicians. Rather, to develop the children with a sense of purpose, and to instill in them a higher level of moral values, to send them into the world filled with Merciful Love".--Ron Wakefield

(Top) North Park Middle School band with children from an orphanage in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Tijuana, and a children's choir from New York in 2017

(Top) Homeless girl (right) teaches a music lesson to an orphan girl in a Shanghai, China orphanage, 2009

(Top) North Park Middle School band at the Tournament of Roses Parade 2005