A fond farewell to a brilliant educator
4,863 views · Published 3 May 2012 · 6:19 · Indexed 30 September 2026
Channel: Austin Wintory · 2012 · Music
This video is my tribute, in collaboration with 20 years' worth of alumni, to the now-legendary Cherry Creek High School music teacher Bill Erickson. It was presented on May 2nd, 2012, at his send-off concert. He had no idea it had been made, nor that the piece he wrote featured in it had even been recorded professionally. He was one of my first and most inspirational teachers, but his biggest legacy is in the choral program and the thousands of students lives he changed. Bill Erickson represents the pinnacle of what public school music education can and should be. It is not a gateway to professional musicianship; it is a fundamental right to a well-rounded and balanced education. -Austin Wintory, May 3rd 2012 Special thanks to Jessica Rotter for filming the Warner Recording sessions with the 2012 CCHS Meistersingers, to Marla Erickson and Sarah Harrison for sneaking all the old photos and videos to me, to Katherine Woolley and Molly Kittle for their tremendous help in obtaining the quotes from prior alumni, and finally to Eric Marks for his brilliant job editing it all together. https://twitter.com/awintory https://www.facebook.com/AWintory/ https://www.instagram.com/a.wintory/
