Although she doesn’t officially start until July 19, Laurie Alfred Wash is already hard at work as director of choirs at Permian High School preparing for the coming year.
Wash replaces Ken Sieloff who is returning to school for his master’s degree at University of North Texas.
Previously, Wash was associate director of choirs at Legacy High School in Midland and has a long history in the music world of the Permian Basin.
Wash’s father, the late Dr. Maurice Alfred, was a choral conductor at Odessa High School and Odessa College. Her mother, the late Glenna Alfred, was a primary music teacher. They both graduated from Hardin-Simmons University.
Wash graduated from Hardin-Simmons, as well, with a bachelor of education, studying under Loyd Hawthorne.
She has been teaching publicly and privately for 34 years.
“… Therefore, I have been in this world for a very, very long time,” Wash said.
She added that she started going to conventions at age 2. “… As an adult, I had been teaching voice and assisting with choirs and teaching, basically in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, in the Houston area and then here in Odessa,” Wash said.
“In 2001, we came back to Odessa and Shawn Bell … took me on to be one of their voice teachers for the students here. Then as Shawn transitioned out, Dr. (Aaron) Hawley came in and so I was here with him at the school. In 2018, I believe it was, I moved over to Legacy and now I’m coming home, some people have said,” Wash added.
Her husband, Jeff, was in the original Black Magic May show nearly 40 years ago.
They have three children and one grandchild. All of their children were all-state musicians, as was her husband.
“But to be here and carry on, for my father and for my parents and for all of the wonderful people that have poured into me during my life here — musically — it’s really an incredible town out here in the middle of West Texas for music. It’s just a wonderful, wonderful place,” Wash said.
Wash said it is too early to say what new things she might want to implement while she’s at PHS. The wisest thing to do at this point is watch.
“… The advantage is that I have been around the program for a number of years. All three of my children went through the program under Dr. Hawley and Shawn Bell,” she added.
She hopes to bring elements from every program she has been involved in.
“I am looking forward to being with the students to helping them to succeed …” along with the directors already on staff, Wash said.
Hawley said they are super-excited to have Wash on board with the “wealth of wisdom that she brings from the choral world … You’re going to be a dynamic team.”
Wash said she loves the traditions that have been established at PHS.
“We’re a pretty tight-knit group just because of where we live. So in the choral world, we know each other; we work together. Ms. Wash is friends with Ms. (Ginger) Storey over at OHS, Mr. (Rob) Rodgers. It’s a wonderful team that we have at ECISD all together,” Hawley said.
