Pioneer Middle School

Some fine teachers, led by the beloved Mr Fisher in Orchestra. Amazing lifetime achievement over many, many years.

Most of the teachers & staff at Pioneer are truly committed, seem to care about their students & provide a high quality education.
However, Introductory Band is not recommended for children with no musical background. The music teacher’s specialty is in conducting skilled child musicians, who already know how to play an instrument & know the music basics. His dictatorial teaching style is best for self-​directed children, who can win awards & sit perfectly still 45 minutes each day, 5 days a week, while telling them what to do.
Therefore, a prerequisite for Beginning Band should be prior musical training. There is little tolerance & patience for those who do not immediately pick up the lesson. The teacher lacks the patience to explain how to work an instrument & read music. He is unapproachable to novice musicians because he reprimands & chides those who ask for help.
Additionally, the teacher provided a hostile & confrontational environment whenever the restlessness of the solid B+ student was addressed with the student, during or after, class, or the parent. He was clearly resolved to limiting the student to the first semester.
It is greatly disappointing that such an abusive introduction could potentially discourage future musicians from the wonderful world of music.

I credit Pioneer for the beginning of my daughter’s academic achievements. They foster and appreciate their gifted students who may not fit the mold. And from what I’ve heard, they don’t ignore their less achievement oriented students and try to integrate them in with the other students in a team approach. They also offer great electives. And unlike Irvine Unified middle schools, they are 6 – 8 and offer Geometry which is a huge bonus for students who achieve in Math.

Great and safe school with super teachers that really care. Students can walk home safely with their beautifully landscaped trails. Only problem is the traffic in the morning and after school. They really only have one way in and one way out which makes dropping your kid off a 30 minute nightmare trying to get out of the single file lines. Whoever designed the parking lot, needs to get his degree revoked!