In the summer of 2021, the SRHS community got the unfortunate news of Sean Castle’s passing, SRHS beloved music director. With the school year coming soon, SRHS had to find someone quick and ready to take on this responsibility of the SRHS Music Director. This was when Nick Burdick joined the SRHS family. 

Students returning to school walked into a classroom with an unfamiliar face. They saw a young and well-dressed man greeting them with a huge smile. You could tell he was new by the way he was standing in front of a crowd of teenagers with a nervous look on his face. It didn’t take long for him to get comfortable with the crowd and vice versa. 

Mr. Burdick grew up surrounded by one biological sister and two adopted siblings. His childhood was always full of fun activities “like karate and music.” He was used to being on the move and doing multiple things all at once. This was one way he found his passion for hiking. 

When he was little, like any other kid, his hopes and dreams were to become a veterinarian or an astronaut. It wasn’t until middle school that he realized that he wanted to do something that involved music, but he wasn’t completely sure what. He was able to find this sort of passion due to the willingness of his former middle school choir teacher. He was able to conduct and lead his group at times, which truly allowed him to explore new passions and learn new experiences. 

Mr. Burdick grew up in the city of Irvine in California. He described it as a great place to live. He graduated from Irvine High School. Then he completed his undergraduate degree at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Later on he went on to attend Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. Here he completed his masters degree in instrumental conducting. 

Originally Mr. Burdick had planned on conducting a professional orchestra, but during those times, there were just not a lot of jobs. He then got “a teaching job on an emergency credential and hated it.” Later on he would learn to love this job and decided to stick with it as a career. 

Mr. Burdick changed schools frequently. Starting off with his first job in the city of Globe, Arizona. He was the general music director at a liberal arts school for young students in this city. He taught more than seven classes, so being compiled with classes wasn’t anything new here at SRHS. Later on, he would name at least six other schools where he had taught, pausing to think in case he had forgotten any other school. So, why all the moving? Most of the places he taught were very conservative and “were horrible places to live in, without any real benefits.” Luckily, he didn’t view San Rafael as a horrible place to live in, so he decided to stick around. 

With the Covid pandemic, there has been a drastic change in music programs all over the country. There was a notable change in the music department at San Rafael High School, with both the passing of Mr. Castle and the return of students at school. Fellow colleague, Anne Lerner, orchestra teacher at SRHS, said, “Burdick is a truly excellent teacher who is bringing some needed fresh ideas.” She describes him as a kind, humorous, and intelligent person.

“He is different from Mr. Castle, but not in a good or bad way, just different,” said Ms. Lerner. When Mr. Castle passed away, the community was left shocked and saddened. Most students saw Mr. Castle as a friend and mentor as well as a teacher. Mr. Burdick had come to a community where people were still healing from this tragedy. He brought a new light to the SR community. 

Suri Pham, a sophomore at SR, said, “The class was just very silent, I felt like people just didn’t want to interact.” She had joined the Wind Ensemble group her freshman year. This sprung a lot of issues in the music classes because the use of music usually needs communication in order to strive at its best. “The good thing is that over the year, Mr. Burdick was learning with us. It made me feel less alone.” 

Senior, Evelin De Leon, had a similar experience. She had taken the beginning piano class at the commencement of her junior year. “One of the best qualities of Mr. Burdick was that he was very patient with everyone,” she said, emphasizing the fact that he works with you no matter how hard you might be struggling. 

Mr. Burdick still hopes to see the SRHS music department grow. “I believe it’s important for students to be involved in the music world because there are so many benefits to it,” he said. There is scientific data showing that students with the capabilities to play music have an easier time understanding math, reading, time, and many other things. This is one reason Mr. Burdick wants to teach the young about music, in hopes of creating exceptional students. 

There is still lots to expect from the music department. Mr. Burdick hopes to grow the music department to the best version it can be. He has a lot of time to do this due to the fact he has deemed San Rafael High School as his “forever home.”