Artie Almeida is the music specialist at Bear Lake
Elementary school in Apopka, FL, where she teaches K-5 students. Her dynamic
performing groups have performed for the American Orff-Schulwerk Association
(AOSA), the Music Educators National Conference (MENC), and on the NBC
Today Show. Artie was chosen as Florida Music Educator of the Year, and
was also selected as an International Educator 2006 by the Cambridge England
Biographical Society. She was Runner-Up for Florida Teacher of the Year,
and was the Seminole County Teacher of the Year. Dr. Almeida was recently
chosen as Alumni of the Decade for the University of Central Florida.
She served seven years on the Board of Directors of the National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards. She is the author of twenty-one
published music resources, including Mallet Madness,
Recorder Express, The Ultimate Game and Activity Pack for Orchestra,
Ten Music Proficiency Packs, as well as four music theory and assessment games featuring the
Warner Brothers Looney Tunes characters. In addition to her public school
teaching duties, Artie teaches applied saxophone lessons and performs
on historical winds with the renaissance ensemble Ars Antiqua. She was
an adjunct music professor at the University of Central Florida for 21
years.
Ysaye Barnwell performs
with the internationally acclaimed a cappella quintet, SWEET HONEY IN
THE ROCK. She is a vocalist with a range of over three octaves and appears
on more than twenty-five recordings with Sweet Honey as well as other
artists. She holds the Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Speech
Pathology (1967, 1968 SUNY, Geneseo), the Doctor of Philosophy in Cranio-Facial
Studies (1975 Univ. of Pittsburgh) and the Master of Science in Public
Health (1981) from Howard University, Washington, D.C.), and the (Honorary)
Doctor of Humane Letters (1998, SUNY, Geneseo). She has been a professor
at the College of Dentistry at Howard University. Dr. Barnwell founded,
and for three years directed, the All Souls Jubilee Singers where she
began composing and arranging music for vocal ensembles. For over twenty
years now, Barnwell has conducted THE WORKSHOP: Building a Vocal Community—Singing
In the African American Tradition where throughout the United States,
Canada, Great Britain and Australia she has utilized African and African
American history, values, cultural and vocal traditions to work with
singers and non-singers alike.
Beth
Berghoff is Associate Professor of Language Education at Indiana
University/Purdue University of Indianapolis (IUPUI). She teaches literacy
classes for teachers and future teachers and researches multiple ways
of knowing, arts-infused curriculum, and assessment. She has served
at the state level as the Language Arts Consultant for the Indiana
Department of Education and on the editorial boards of Language Arts
and the National Reading Conference and the National Council of Teachers
of English (NCTE) Commission on Curriculum. Beth’s publications
include: Arts
Together: Steps Toward Transformative Teacher Education, Beyond
Reading and Writing; and articles in Language Arts, Primary
Voices, Reading Teacher, National Reading Conference Yearbook, Talking
Points, Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, and Arts
and Learning Research Journal. B.S., Indiana University; M.S.,
Ohio State, and Ph.D., Indiana University.
Cindy Borgmann is Associate Professor of Art Education
at the Herron School of Art and Design, Indiana University/Purdue University
of Indianapolis (IUPUI), where she teaches graduate and undergraduate
courses for teachers in art and education. She has published and presented
her research in art criticism, critical inquiry, and aesthetic ways of
knowing, and co-authored Arts Together: Steps Toward Transformative
Teacher Education published by the National Art Education Association.
She has her doctorate in art education from Indiana University and her
Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University; M.S., and D.E., Indiana University.
Daniel D’Addio is
Professor of Music and Chairperson of the Department of Music at Central
Connecticut State University (CCSU) where he is Director of Bands, Music
Director of the Wind Symphony, and teaches courses in conducting, trumpet,
and brass chamber music. He is also Music Director of the Connecticut
Youth Symphony. Dr. D’Addio is a Yamaha Performing Artist. D.M.A.,
University of Michigan; M.M., Ohio State University; and B.M., Hartt
School.
Steven
Estrella earned a Ph.D. in Music Education from Temple University,
Master of Arts degree in music composition from Claremont Graduate
School, and a B.A. in Music and Psychology from Eckerd College. For
ten years, Estrella served as Assistant Professor of Music Education
and Director of Computer/Media Services for Temple University’s
Boyer College of Music. He is an active member of the National Advisory
Board for the Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME) and
has served as Vice-President of TI:ME. He owns Shearspire, Inc., and
StevenEstrella.com, providing Web and media development services to
clients in education and business. He has completed large interactive
media projects for clients such as the Berklee College of Music, the
International Music Products Association, the International Association
of Electronic Keyboard Manufacturers, Addison-Wesley Publishing, and
McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Estrella is the author of three textbooks, The
Web Wizard’s Guide to Javascript, The Web Wizard’s
Guide to Dynamic HTML, and Study Outline and Workbook in the
Fundamentals of Music.
Janet Farrar-Royce has been a professional violist,
teacher and conductor for over 30 years. She was one of the original MENC
On-line MENTORS and has two articles in their latest Spotlight on Orchestras.
She was a member of the American String Teacher’s Association’s
(ASTA) 2005-2006 Alternative Styles committee and is highlighted in their
new Teaching Alternative Styles in the Classroom DVD. This year
she has been appointed one of Yamaha's first Certified String Educators.
She is a frequent contributor of articles and reviews for musical and educational
publications and keeps a busy schedule as a conference presenter, clinician
and guest conductor for private and public schools and teaches graduate
courses at several universities. Her first book, White Mountain Reel
Companions, is used by thousands of string teachers nationwide. Her
latest book, Fiddling Fingers, is published by Carl Fischer. Janet
is currently working on some classical arrangements for string orchestras
and a new book about teaching fiddling with ensembles. This May Janet will
complete her tenure as President of the Connecticut chapter of ASTA and
will be joining the National Orchestra committee.
Timothy Gerber teaches in the School of Music
at The Ohio State University (OSU). A graduate of Oberlin College
and Temple University, he is a co-author of the high school music appreciation
text, Music!
Its Role and Importance in Our Lives, published by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill
(2006, 3rd ed.). Tim has been honored with the Distinguished
Teaching Award in the OSU School of Music, and with his selection
as the Roy Acuff Chair of Excellence in the Creative Arts at
Austin Peay State University. In 2007, he was awarded the Distinguished
Alumnus Award in Music Education at Oberlin. He has presented hundreds
of clinics and keynote addresses throughout the United States, Canada,
and abroad.
Jill
Henderson recently retired as Administrative Director of MetaArts,
Inc. and the Judy Dworin Performance Ensemble in Hartford. She has
had a career as a dance educator and arts curriculum developer in both
the U.S.A and the United Kingdom (UK). Here in Connecticut, she was
the Coordinator for the Connecticut Guide to Arts Curriculum Development
(K-12) and the Connecticut Guide to Interdisciplinary Curriculum
Development. Prior to 1992, when she moved to the U.S.A, she lived
and worked in the UK where she was a leading figure in the world of
dance in education. She has taught, choreographed, and advised in a
wide variety of educational contexts, including: K-12 dance programs;
teacher preparation and in-service; and adult and community education.
Al
Holcomb is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Central
Florida (UCF) where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in
music education, coordinates undergraduate music education, coordinates
music education, advises, supervises interns, and conducts the Women’s
Ensemble. He has taught all levels of general and choral music in Texas
and Connecticut. Dr. Holcomb is a frequent presenter and author on the
topics of aural skill development, mentoring, professional development,
music assessment, and middle level choral music education. Dr. Holcomb
has helped to develop statewide assessment projects in Connecticut and
Florida and has co-chaired the Florida Music Assessment project since
2001.
Karen Howard has been teaching music in Connecticut (CT) for 15 years. She has extensive training in multicultural music and dance. Some of the places she has studied include Cuba, Tahiti, Ghana, Turkey, Macedonia, Thailand, Morocco and India. She has presented workshops at the national and international level for groups including American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA), the Organization for American Kodaly Educators (OAKE), and the Music Educators National Conference (MENC). She was one of the conductors with the CT Children’s Chorus. Karen was recognized as CT’s Elementary Music Educator of the Year for 2003.
Brian Kershner: Assistant
Professor of Theory/Composition at Central Connecticut State University
(CCSU), where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music
theory, ear-training, composition and related topics. He is also the
bassoon instructor at CCSU. Prior to his joining the CCSU music faculty
in 2004, he served for sixteen years on the faculty of Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey, and prior to that appointment he held similar
positions at Baylor University and the University of North Carolina at
Greensboro. He is known throughout the United States and beyond as a
composer, bassoonist and pedagogue. His compositions have enjoyed premieres
and performances internationally. In 2005, his New England Trio was
premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York City. In the Spring of 2006, his Pastorale
and Scherzino was performed by Orchestra 2001 in Philadelphia and
in several concerts in Italy. Dr. Kershner holds a B.S. in Music Education
from Duquesne University, an M.M. from the New England Conservatory of
Music and a D.M. from Florida State University.
Carl Knox: Associate
Professor of Music at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) where
he directs the award winning jazz ensemble and teaches courses in jazz
improvisation, jazz history, jazz composing and arranging, woodwind methods
and applied saxophone. He received his D.M.A from Michigan State University
where he studied with Andrew Speight, Branford Marsalis, Joseph Lulloff
and James Forger. Currently an active performer, his professional experience
includes performances with Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Mel Torme, Jon Faddis,
Marshall Royal, Snooky Young, Doc Severinsen, Rob McConnell, Toshiko
Akiyoshi, Benny Carter, Bobby Shew, and Louis Bellson.
Stefani Langol is a music educator, clinician, and author. She is currently Assistant Professor of music education at Berklee College of Music and also serves as the technology coordinator for the department. Stefani spent many years using technology in K–12 music classrooms and has trained hundreds of in-service music educators across the country on effective uses of music technology throughout the K–12 Curriculum. Additionally, Stefani is an educational consultant and music technology applications specialist, and has worked for SoundTree/KorgUSA, Opcode, Cakewalk, Warner Brothers, Cablevision, and GIA Publishing. She serves on the Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME) advisory board and was editor in chief of the TI:ME newsletter from 1997 to 2004.
Ginny
R. Latts
is currently on the faculty of the Longy School of Music, and she maintains
a private studio for piano, composition and Eurhythmics in the Boston
area. Latts also teaches workshops nationally. She has also taught at
the New England Conservatory of Music; the Tanglewood Music Center; and
the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. In addition to her teaching,
she is a composer of works for theatre, piano music, and songs, and a
grant recipient for music composition for theatre, teacher training,
and school residencies. B.A. Summa Cum Laude, Macalester College; Dalcroze
Certificate and License, Longy School of Music. She has also studied
at Columbia University, The Juilliard School, The Dalcroze School of
Music, and Carnegie Mellon University. Dalcroze instructors include:
Lisa Parker, Anne Farber, Hilda Schuster, Robert Abramson, and Marta
Sanchez. Piano pedagogy studies with Jean Stackhouse at New England Conservatory
of Music. Latts also has training in Modern Dance and Orff techniques.
Linda Laurent: Professor at CCSU where she teaches
piano, music history, and theory. Degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory,
The Juilliard School, and the New York University. She has performed chamber
and solo concerts in the United States, Europe, and North Africa, and lecture-recitals
under the auspices of the New York Council for the Humanities. Study in
theory and analysis with Luciano Berio, Nadia Boulanger, David Chaitkin,
Brian Fennelly, and Hugo Weisgall. Prior theory teaching at New York University,
Marymount College (NY), and Trinity College (Hartford).
Kathy Liperote received
a Ph.D. in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music in 2004.
She has presented numerous workshops focusing on a natural sequence of
music learning that prepares students for comprehensive music literacy.
Currently an adjunct Assistant Professor at the Eastman School of Music
and the State University of New York at Buffalo, Dr. Liperote has also
taught classes at the University of Michigan, Central Connecticut State
University, and Nazareth College. Prior to her doctoral studies, she
taught instrumental music for 15 years, grades 4–12,
in the Baldwinsville and West Genesee Central School Districts in suburban
Syracuse, New York. She is a graduate of the Crane School of Music and
Syracuse University. Dr. Liperote’s article, “Audiation for
Beginning Instrumentalists: Listen, Speak, Read, Write,” appeared
in the September 2006 edition of the Music Educators Journal (MEJ).
Faith Lueth is a graduate of Boston University
and holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the Boston Conservatory.
She has studied conducting with Allen Lannom and Doreen Rao and was awarded
the Artist-Teacher Certificate from the Choral Music Experience Institute.
Lueth has conducted choral ensembles at all educational levels, elementary
through college. Her thirty-six years of public school teaching included
twenty-three years of teaching junior high and middle school choral groups.
She has presented workshops at state, regional and national conferences
of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) and for state and regional
conferences of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). Faith
also served as the chair of the Repertoire and Standards Committee for
Middle School for the Eastern division ACDA. She retired from the Needham
Public Schools in 2004 where she taught chorus, orchestra and music technology
courses. She has taught courses at Boston University and Wheaton College
and is currently an Associate Professor in the Music Education Department
at Berklee College of Music. In addition, she conducts the Gordon College
Women’s Choir and teaches a course on World Music at that college.
Lueth has published several articles on choral artistry, the changing voice,
and adolescent vocal development.
Anthony Maiello: Author of Conducting: A Hands-On
Approach, Conducting Nuances: Little Things Mean Alot, and co-author
of The 21st Century Band Method. He is a Professor of Music
and the Director of Instrumental Studies at George Mason University in
Fairfax, VA. Former Professor of Music and Chairman of Performance at
the Crane School of Music, Potsdam College of SUNY. Professional credits
include clinician, adjudicator, and guest conductor of numerous music
festivals throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, Europe,
the Netherlands, and the Bahamas. He conducted musical activities for
the Gold Medal Ceremonies at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
He received both his B.M. and M.M. from Ithaca College. He also attended
the National Conducting Institute with the National Symphony Orchestra
at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D. C. under the direction
of Leonard Slatkin. Professor Maiello presently serves as a cover conductor
for the National Symphony Orchestra, conductor of the American Philharmonic
Festival Orchestra and The American Wind Symphony. He is the only Honorary
Conductor of the United States Navy Band, Washington, D.C.
John Mastroianni has performed as a professional
musician since he was fifteen years old. His talents as a saxophonist,
woodwind doubler, composer, and arranger have led him to a diversity
of musical experiences. John earned a B.S. in Music Education and a B.M.
in Jazz Studies from the University of Bridgeport, and an M.A. in Jazz
Performance/Composition from New York University. He has studied saxophone
with Phil Woods, Dick Oatts, Joe Lovano, and Gary Klein, and composition
with Jim McNeely, Bill Finegan, Tom Boras, Neil Slater, and Mike Carubia.
John has performed, toured, and/or recorded with a myriad of jazz and
commercial artists! He has three critically acclaimed CD’s as a
leader, and is a featured soloist, composer and arranger on four New
England Jazz Ensemble recordings. His compositions and arrangements have
been performed or recorded by many professional, college and high school
ensembles throughout the world. His original compositions are published
through Walrus Music/Otter Distributors. John has taught at New York
University, Albertus Magnus College, the University of Bridgeport, the
New York State Summer School for the Arts, Bridgeport Central High School,
and New Canaan High School. Currently, he is the Director of Bands at
Hall High School in West Hartford, an adjunct jazz faculty member at
the University of Connecticut and Quinnipiac University, and the founder
and music director of the Young Artists Summer Jazz Workshop. In December
2002, John was named by SBO Magazine as one of 50 directors in the United
States that “make a difference,” and in March
2004, John was chosen by the Connecticut Music Educators Association
(CMEA) as the Secondary School Teacher of the Year.
Francis Morris graduated from the well-known violin-making school in Mittenwald, Germany. After employment with the shop of Fritz Baumgartner and Sons of Basel, Switzerland where he did restoration work, he worked with two of this country’s best shops: Hans Weisshaar and Son, and Robert Cauer in Los Angeles. He currently lives and has a shop near Tanglewood in the Berkshires
.
Charles Murphy is a dedicated educator who uses all
of his rich cultural background to inspire students of all ages. He has
won many community service awards from organizations such as The National
Society of Black Engineers, The St. Louis Science Center and the YMCA of
Greater St. Louis. Mr. Murphy is both an Apple Distinguished Educator and
an M-Audio M-Powered Educator. While his degree is in Chemistry and Math,
he is now teaching Radio/Television/Computer Graphics at Roosevelt High
School in the St. Louis Public Schools. This is part of the District's
Career and Technical Education Division.
Judith Nicosia is Associate Professor at Rutgers
University, where she teaches voice, voice pedagogy and vocal literature
classes. She has been an invited clinician at local, regional, and national
levels for the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the
American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and a master teacher in the
2003 NATS Intern Program. Recent workshops have taken her to Maryland,
Delaware, New York and New Jersey. Currently, she serves as New Jersey
ACDA Repertoire & Standards Chair for Youth & Student Activities,
and is Editor for the ACDA Eastern Division Newsletter, Troubadour.
Her articles have appeared in Star of the North, Bella Voce, VocalEase, TEMPO, Canticum
Novum, Quodlibet, andthe NFHS Music Association Journal.
William Pappazisis is the Director of Fine and
Performing Arts for the Belmont, Massachusetts (MA) Public Schools, where
he leads a comprehensive program in music, the visual arts, theatre and
dance. Prior to his tenure in Belmont, Pappazisis was a high school choral
director and Fine Arts Coordinator for the Westborough, MA Public Schools
for over twenty years. Pappazisis has served the American Choral Directors
Association (ACDA) in several capacities, including the Eastern Division
High School Repertoire and Standards Chair, and is currently President
of the Massachusetts ACDA. He. Well-known in MA for his choral work,
he is frequently sought after throughout New England as a choral clinician,
adjudicator, and guest conductor at middle school and high school state
and regional festivals. He began his career in the West Hartford, CT,
where he taught elementary general music and children’s choirs. Pappazisis received his Bachelor
of Music Education degree from The Hartt School, a Master of Music degree
from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a diploma from the Kodaly
Musical Training Institute. He furthered his graduate education in curriculum
and instruction, and arts administration at the University of Massachusetts
and Fitchburg State College. Pappazisis is currently on the faculty at
Boston University’s School of Music where he teaches choral methods.
N. Carlotta Parr: Associate
Professor of Music Education at Central Connecticut State University
(CCSU) and Assistant Director of the Summer Music Institute. She teaches
undergraduate music methods courses, Masters’ core courses, supervises
student teachers, and advises research projects. In the fall of 2005
she was appointed as the Coordinator of the Master in Music Education
program. For ten years (1990-1998) she was the state Fine Arts Consultant
for the Indiana Department of Education, where her responsibilities included
curriculum development, and performance-based assessment in the arts.
She was the Scholar-in-Resident for the BEST program in music for the
CT Department of Education for three years. She co-designed an arts infused/integrated
for elementary education majors at Indiana University/Purdue University
in Indianapolis (IUPUI), and co-authored a book on integration entitled Arts
Together: Steps Toward Transformative Teacher Education (2005).
B.M.E., James Madison University; M.M., Catholic University of America;
D.M.Ed., Indiana University.
Pamela J. Perry: Professor
of Music, and Director of the Summer Music Institute at Central Connecticut
State University (CCSU). Director of the CCSU University Singers. Former
Director of Choral Activities at the Hartt School, University of Hartford.
Guest conductor and clinician at the Music Educators National Conference
(MENC), American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) conventions, and
all-state, regional and honors festivals. She was a public school music
specialist (IL and VT) for eleven years. Concert tours of Austria, Germany,
Italy, Japan, Korea, Hungary and France. Consultant for Arts Education
programs, public school systems and grant evaluations. Awards include
ACDA CT/RI Choral Director of the Year and CCSU’s Excellence in
Teaching Honor Roll, and 2006 CCSU Distinguished Service Award. B.M.E.,
Wheaton College; M.M., University of Illinois; D.M.A., Hartt School of
Music.
Julie
Ribchinsky is a Professor of Music at Central Connecticut State
University (CCSU), where she has been a full time faculty member since
1978. She is also a visiting teacher of cello and ensemble at Wesleyan
University. Ribchinsky, an active performer, is a founding member of
the Connecticut Trio-in residence at CCSU. In addition to performances
throughout the region, the Trio has recorded works by composer Ezra
Laderman for Albany records. Concerts at New York’s Weill Hall,
Wave Hill and the Landon Gallery as well as at the Belding Theater
in Hartford have been met with acclaim in reviews in the Strad Magazine
and Hartford
Courant. Ribchinsky
has performed concerti with the New Britain Symphony, the Connecticut
Valley Chamber Orchestra and CCSU Sinfonietta. As soloist, she is regularly
performs, collaborating in recitals and chamber works. Professor Ribchinsky
teaches applied cello, chamber music and directs the CCSU Sinfonietta
chamber orchestra. She actively promotes string playing through her
role as past president of the state chapter of the American String
Teachers Association (ASTA) and current member of its executive board.
Ribchinsky is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where she studied
with Ronald Leonard, and Paul Katz.
Thomas
Rudolph, Ed. D. currently is the Director of Music and middle school
classroom and instrumental music instructor for the School District of
Haverford Township, in Havertown, Pennsylvania. He is also an adjunct
Assistant Professor at The University of the Arts. Dr. Rudolph, one of
the seminal people in music education and technology, began his work
as a clinician and workshop leader in the field in 1982. He has authored
seven books including: Teaching Music With Technology, currently
in its second edition; Finale An Easy Guide to Music Notation, Recording
in the Digital World, Finding Funds for Music Technology,
and he was a co-authors of the TI:ME publication: Technology Strategies
for Music Education. He has published more than 30 articles on music
technology that have appeared in the Music Educators Journal, The
Instrumentalist, Jazz Educator Journal, and Downbeat magazine.
He is a regular contribute to Music Education Technology magazine.
Dr. Rudolph has consulted with dozens of companies including Apple Computer,
Korg, SoundTree, Roland, Bose Corporation and many others. In 1995, he
was one of the founders of the Technology Institute for Music Educators
(TI:ME) and is now serving as the President of this organization. Since
1983, Rudolph has taught workshops in music technology at 17 institutions
of higher learning and has trained over 3,750 music educators in his
acclaimed workshops. He presented the music technology keynote address
for the MENC Eastern Music Technology pre-conference in 1996, the Massachusetts
State Conference in 1999, the MENC/TI:ME National Conference in 2002,
the Missouri State Conference in 2003 and the Alabama State Conference
in 2005.
Alex Ruthmann is Assistant Professor of music education
at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana where he teaches courses
in music education technology, general music methods, curriculum, and research.
He formerly taught technology-infused general music at a middle school
in Michigan. His research interests include collaborative music learning,
composing curriculum and pedagogy, and music education technology. Recent
publications include an article on technology-infused music teaching in
the Music Educators Journal and Research
Studies in Music Education, as well as a chapter on using online
collaborative tools in music classes in Music Education with Digital
Technology published by Continuum Press. He also serves on the advisory/editorial
boards of the Center for Applied Research in Musical Understanding, British
Journal of Music Education, Journal of Music, Technology, and Education, and International
Journal of Music Education: Practice and is managing editor of the International
Journal of Education & the Arts.
Sandra Stauffer is Professor of Music at Arizona
State University, where she teaches undergraduate course in general music
methods and graduate courses in qualitative research, narrative inquiry,
and social and cultural dimensions of music teaching and learning. Her
studies of children and young people as composers and her research on music
teacher preparation can be found in various journals. Stauffer is also
an author for music textbooks and teaching materials for various arts organizations.
André Thomas, the Owen F. Sellers Professor
of Music, is Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Choral Music
Education at Florida State University. A previous faculty member at the
University of Texas, Austin, Dr. Thomas received his degrees from FriendsUniversity
(B.A.), Northwestern University (M. M.), and the University of Illinois
(D.M.A). He is in demand as a choral adjudicator, clinician, and director
of Honor/All-State Choirs throughout the United States, South America,
Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and Australia. Dr. Thomas has conducted choirs
at the state, division,and national conventions of the Music Educators
National Conference (MENC) and American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).
His international conducting credits are extensive. They include conductor/clinician
for the International Federation of Choral Musicians, summer residency
of the World Youth Choir in the Republic of China and the Philippines,
winter residency of the World Youth Choir in Europe, and a premier performance
by an American choir (Florida State University Singers) in Vietnam. He
has been the guest conductor of such distinguished orchestras and choirs
as the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in England, and guest Conductor for
the Berlin Radio Choir in Germany and the Netherlands Radio Choir. Thomas
has also distinguished himself as a composer/arranger. Hinshaw Music Company,
Mark Foster Music Company, Fitzsimmon Music Company, Lawson Gould, Earthsongs,
and Heritage Music Company publish his compositions and arrangements. Dr.
Thomas has produced two instructional videos "What They See Is What
You Get" on choral conducting, with Rodney Eichenberger, and "Body,
Mind, Spirit, Voice" on adolescent voices, with Anton Armstrong. He
is a past president of the Florida ACDA, and the past president of the
Southern Division of ACDA.
Scott Watson teaches music in the Parkland School
District (Allentown, Pennsylvania), where he loves leading students of
all ages to express their musical creativity, and is an adjunct professor
at Villanova University. An award-winning, frequently commissioned composer,
Watson's music is described by the Instrumentalist magazine as “outstanding...with
beautiful melodies and interesting harmonies.” Scott's music, published
by Alfred, C.L. Barnhouse, and others, has been performed at numerous festivals
and state conferences, and venues such as Philadelphia's famed Academy
of Music and the White House. Recent commissions include those for the
Lehigh County (PA) Band, Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductors
Association, International Horn Society, Twin Falls (ID) Municipal Band,
and West Chester University Wind Ensemble. Also in demand as a clinician,
guest conductor, and adjudicator, Scott has appeared at conferences and
festivals in more than a dozen states in the U.S., and Canada.