Mission Statement
To cultivate a nurturing learning environment that promotes an inclusive music-making community. To foster meaningful connections that empower one another. To provide impactful opportunities that inspire personal and musical growth.
About WEstwood High School
Westwood High School is located in Austin, Texas and a member of the Round Rock Independent School District. Founded in 1981, Westwood High School is a comprehensive high school proudly transforming the lives of its students for the benefit of society. Westwood High School offers advanced coursework through Advanced Placement (AP) and Career/Technology (CTE) courses. Further, Westwood houses district level magnet programs in both International Baccalaureate (IB) courses and Visual Performing Arts. For more than a decade, Westwood High School has been listed within the top 1% of high schools by Newsweek’s Best High Schools in the Nation. Westwood High School consistently produces large numbers of National Merit Scholars, placing 63 in 2017, 57 in 2018, and 44 in 2019. Westwood High School has also earned College Success Awards from Greatschools.org based on its success in preparing students for college and career. Students who graduate from Westwood High School have higher college enrollment rates, key measures of college and career readiness, higher test scores and the number of advanced courses taken per student is higher than most schools in the state. In addition to top-notch academic opportunities, Westwood High School enjoys success in a variety of extracurricular activities including athletics, fine arts, debate, robotics, DECA, and HOSA. Westwood High School is home to multiple state championships in athletics including Girls Golf, Volleyball, and Team Tennis. The music and arts program at Westwood High School are central to the school’s identity reflected in the combined music program’s recognition as a Grammy Signature Gold school.
ABout the Westwood Orchestras
The Westwood Symphony Orchestra is the premier performing ensemble from Westwood High School. The Symphony Orchestra maintains a tradition of excellence that includes being named the TMEA Honor Orchestra for the state of Texas five times and two invitations to perform at the prestigious Midwest Clinic in Chicago, Illinois. In summer of 2023, the Westwood Symphony Orchestra was named the Texas Music Educators Association Honor Full Orchestra (#1 orchestra in the state!), and performed at the TMEA Convention in February 2024. The spirit of collaboration between the orchestra and band programs is a long tradition at Westwood, as the school currently takes three full Symphony Orchestras to UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Evaluation every spring, and each ensemble is co-conducted by both an orchestra director and a band director. The Westwood Orchestra program has an enrollment of 226 students separated into five different performing orchestras based on their skill sets, and a sixth orchestra for beginning string players. All five performing orchestras perform annually at UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Evaluation as a string orchestra, and the top three orchestras also perform annually as a full orchestra. The program has only had three head directors in its 39 years of existence; Jerome Brillhart and Susan Williams are the former directors that began this great tradition of excellence. The orchestra often places the most students in the region into the All-Region Orchestra and are amongst the top programs in the state each year in regards to how many students are placed into the Texas All-State Orchestra.
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