This week's alumni appreciation post is about our very own Ms. Sarah Morrison. She is currently the conductor of our Prelude Orchestra and was previously the conductor for our Overture Strings Orchestra from 2012-2017. Ms. Morrison participated in Florida Symphony Youth Orchestras for seven years as a student violinist and went on to graduate from our program back in 1991.
Upon graduation, Ms. Morrison went on to attend Rollins College and Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music for her undergraduate studies. After receiving her B.A. in Music and Humanities at Rollins College, Ms. Morrison went on to teaching private violin lessons. This was when she realized she wanted to deepen her understanding of string pedagogy and learn how to better teach children. She decided that the best way to help her develop a voice as a music educator was to attend Florida State University and get a Master of Music Education in Strings and a Master of Music in Violin Performance.
While at FSU, Ms. Morrison learned that teaching music is most certainly a lifelong journey and that we continually learn and grow as teachers and musicians. She believes we learn daily from the student musicians with whom we have the privilege to work, as well as from the mentors and master teachers who cross our paths. Through studying and performing music together, we can create art in a way that taps into our shared humanity in a unique and powerful way.
After graduating from FSU, she started teaching as a director for Crownover Middle School in Denton, Texas, and later served as an elementary string specialist in the public schools of Salem, Oregon. She most recently taught orchestra for second to eighth graders locally at Rochelle School of Arts in Lakeland, Florida, from 2006-2014. Once her son was born, she decided to focus on providing private lessons for violinists in Lakeland and continue conducting with FSYO.
"We strive to achieve a common goal and focus on what unifies us in spirit and intention, creating something which makes the world tangibly better, instead of being distracted by our differences. The world could take a lesson from what our FSYO student musicians accomplish each week in rehearsal." - Ms. Sarah Morrison
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