1935 - 2003
Selkirk Montessori School Band Instructor
Catherine Scorey, wife of Ken Scorey wrote the following article in September 2003 after Ken's death:
Kenneth John Scorey was born in Southampton, England on October 29, 1935. He studied music at Trinity College London, with Thea King as his clarinet teacher, and his teacher training was at St Alfred’s College, Winchester. He later earned a B Mus and M.Ed (music) at the University of Victoria.
Ken and his wife, Catherine, came to Canada in 1968, and Ken started a high school band program in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. They did not like the weather, plus there was no tennis court in the town, so in 1969 they moved to Victoria where Ken was an itinerant band teacher in the elementary schools until 1988 (and he could play lots of tennis all year round!). When he retired from this position, he started teaching wind instruments to small groups of senior students at Selkirk Montessori School, then known as Pacific Montessori. Slowly, each year, the numbers increased until they formed a whole band when he retired in 2001.
Ken arranged his own music according to the talents and instrumentation of his groups. He always carried a tiny pencil and recipe cards with music staffs on them so that he could write music down whenever he thought of it. He wrote a fanfare especially for the ground breaking ceremony of the new building site at Selkirk, which students played on their trumpets in February 1998. In later years, he wrote some ambitious arrangements for the school’s June concerts, not only for the band, but also including the guitar classes and recorder players. He sometimes wrote solos for talented band members or even string players. Getting everyone together for rehearsals in the confined space of the basement of the old school was a challenge he took in his stride!
Over the years, Ken and Catherine played in a wind quintet, which usually practised at their house. The Kincaid Quintet performed at various venues, for events such as weddings, Christmas at the malls or restaurants, dinners etc., including several pieces that Ken arranged for the group. Ken also played in many local groups, such as the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra, The Civic Orchestra, The Fifth Field Regiment Band, and The Chiefs and Petty Officers’ Association Band.
The Selkirk Montessori School band program has grown from individual lessons and groups of two students, to a thriving band program. It is a tribute to Ken that so many of his students have continued to play music, and to enjoy it at many levels whether they play in garage bands or as concert professionals.