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2012-2014 PADESTA President-Elect & Secretary Candidate
Elections for our new PADESTA officers will take place in January 2012. We are pleased to announce that Joseph Brennan (Haverford, PA) and Jeffrey Tedford (Grove City, PA) are running for the office of president. Both are excellent candidates are we are grateful for their willingness to serve our organization at this important time. We are also pleased that Elizabeth Guerriero (Philadelphia, PA) will be running for Secretary. All three candidates bios can be found below.
President-Elect Candidate - Joseph Brennan
Joseph Brennan received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Education from Temple University while studying violin with Julian Meyer. While at Temple University, Mr. Brennan also participated in small ensembles on trumpet. For 26 years he has been the director of the string program at Haverford Middle and High Schools where he directs three orchestras and teaches general music. In 2006, Mr. Brennan was recognized by the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) with the Citation of Excellence Award. Mr. Brennan has presented sessions at past American String Teachers Association (ASTA) National Conferences, Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, Music Educators National Conference (MENC) conferences, PMEA Conferences, other state music educator conferences in Texas, Ohio, New Jersey, and Delaware, as well as a (MENC) sponsored string workshop at Temple University. Mr. Brennan has been a guest conductor for various Pennsylvania String/Orchestra festivals. Mr. Brennan has brought many string chamber ensembles and orchestras to perform at PMEA annual state conventions. The Haverford High School Orchestra has participated in a “Side-by-Side” rehearsal and performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Haverford High School Symphony Orchestra represented the State of Pennsylvania by performing in America’s 400th Anniversary, commemorating the founding of Jamestown. Prior to coming to Haverford, Mr. Brennan taught a Suzuki program in Readington Twp. School District in New Jersey. Mr. Brennan is the former music director at St. Pius X Church in Broomall, PA. He continually performs as a violinist and trumpeter throughout the Philadelphia area. In addition, Mr. Brennan is a former Music Specialist with the Wilmington chapter of The Barbershop Harmony Society. Mr. Brennan lives in Hainesport, New Jersey with his wife and children and enjoys doing DIY homeowner projects. Since being a kidney donor, Mr. Brennan, has been an advocate for organ donor awareness.
Candidate Statement: In this time of political assaults and rhetoric against public education, now more than ever, orchestra directors and teachers need to be inspired and educated to be advocates for our profession as well as mentors of life long skills for our students. I believe strongly in the value of recent research that substantiates so many benefits, in both musical and non-musical domains, that come from playing a stringed instrument. It is crucial that we as string teachers educate parents, fellow educators, and administrators, along with our students, of these unique developments. It is so inspiring and fulfilling as an educator to know that teaching students to play a stringed instruments provides them with so many unique opportunities to grow, cognitively, socially, and emotionally, in addition to fostering a mindset of growth and achievement through dedicated effort. It is an awesome responsibility and position in which we are placed, especially when we work with our students over the course of many years. I hope that PADESTA can enable string teachers to be inspired to their fullest to instill and lead students towards these life long benefits, while also being able to enlighten parents, teaching colleagues and administrators as to these unique experiences and opportunities for those students.
President-Elect Candidate - Jeffrey Tedford
Jeffrey Tedford is the Director of Orchestras and Assistant to the Chair of Music and Fine Arts at Grove City College. In this position, he oversees the direction of the college's Symphonic Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra. Tedford is also the Eastern Division string orchestra representative for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) where he works with string educators throughout the United States to advocate for string music education and plan events at the annual conference.
From 2003-2011, Tedford held the position of Director of Orchestras and Strolling Strings at Williamsport Area High School. In this position, he conducted three string orchestras daily, including over 150 students, and the Millionaire Strolling Strings, a select group of string players who perform throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As a member of the Williamsport music staff, Tedford was part of an award-winning faculty which was awarded the NAMM foundation's top 100 schools for music in eight out of nine years. Prior to coming to Williamsport, he was a graduate assistant at Carnegie Mellon University and served as the Assistant Conductor for the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh. As the Assistant Conductor, he prepared the chorus for concerts with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops, and other performances in the Pittsburgh area. While in Pittsburgh he had the opportunity to study with world-renowned conductor, Robert Page.
Mr. Tedford has served as the Music Director and Conductor of the Williamsport Chamber Choir & Orchestra where he prepared the ensemble for annual Christmas and Spring concerts as well as for performances with guest artists Eileen Ivers and the Billtown Brass. He has also served as the conductor of the Williamsport Symphony Youth Orchestra, and a member of the violin section of the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra.
Candidate Statement: As we enter a time of increased need for advocacy, it is imperative that our organizations communicate together. PADESTA plays a vital role in advocating for string music education and as President I will work to maintain the work others have done to build relationships with DMEA, PMEA, and other organizations to help schools struggling with budget cuts, assist schools trying to start or build string programs, and create new or improve existing venues for our strong programs to flourish and perform for others to see the great work that is being done in string education in Delaware and Pennsylvania. Many opportunities exist for our students to participate in PADESTA and ASTA events, but because of scheduling conflicts or low visibility, our students are not taking advantage of the opportunities before them.
If elected President, I will work to meet as many of you as possible, work with our current leadership, and hopefully encourage many new members to get involved and provide great opportunities for our students.
Secretary Candidate - Dr. Elizabeth Guerriero
Elizabeth Guerriero, Ph.D. is an adjunct assistant professor in music education at Rider University in Princeton, N.J. Ms. Guerriero received the Ph.D. in Music Education from the Pennsylvania State University, Masters of Music in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy from the University of Denver and a Bachelors of Music, Violin Performance from the Hartt School.
Dr. Guerriero presents regularly at the MENC (NAfME) conferences, American String Teachers Association, and Suzuki Association of the Americas Conferences. She is active with the Greater Philadelphia Suzuki Association and holds the Music Education Advocacy Chair for PMEA District 11.
Beth has performed at the Lancaster Music Festival, Summer Strings Colorado, Bowdoin Music Festival, the International School for Musical Arts and the Brandeis Summer Music Festival. Upon winning the 2003 MTNA Graduating Teacher Award, Ms. Guerriero accepted the position to direct the instrumental music program at the Friends School of Mullica Hill and has also taught at the Kimberton Waldorf School.
Dr. Guerriero's research interests include cognitive psychology, motor control, and music learning; Suzuki in the schools; and understanding for violin and viola comfort relating to ease and efficiency of performance. Her publications can be found through MENC (NAfME) and SAA.
Welcome to the new PADESTA website!
The PADESTA chapter of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) represents hundreds of school and private teachers, professional performers, college faculty, and students from across the Pennsylvania-Delaware region. Our leadership board is composed of volunteers who are either elected by the membership or appointed to positions by our leadership to serve in various capacities. By working closely together, we hope that a unity of strength and vision can help us continue to advance the cause of strings in our region.
This change in our website is part of PADESTA’s ongoing commitment to continue to serve its membership in meaningful and practical ways. Our goal is to provide information, news, and resources to you in a timely fashion. Please take a few moments to browse our website and offer feedback on what information would be most useful to you or if there is anything you’d like to see us add.
With this new website we also have the ability to update information more regularly, providing you with greater advance notice of events, both locally and nationally. In addition, you’ll see ads from our sponsors, who help make this service available. In the future, we hope to add such benefits as a job listing service, resources and links, and also features about our members.
In the meantime, we hope you enjoy these changes and we also hope that you’ll see the great range of activities and benefits offered for ASTA members. If you’re not yet a member of ASTA, here are just a few reasons why you might want to consider joining our organization:
Why Join ASTA?
Advocacy Tools––ASTA is committed to championing string education and providing you with resources to make your job easier. These include: Why Strings informational brochures; recruitment posters; Advocating for Strings DVD, PowerPoint presentations, customized letters of support for programs in trouble, and special advocacy sessions at our national conference.
Training & Education––ASTA members have access to cutting-edge professional development options that include: the National Conference offering more than 170 training sessions programs; New Music Reading Folders; and American String Teacher journal – to name just a few.
Programs For Your Students––When you belong to ASTA your students can take part in: National High School Honors Orchestra; National Solo Competition; Alternative Styles Awards; National Orchestra Festival; Instrument Outreach programs; and Certificate Advancement Program for students enrolled in private lessons.
Recruitment/Community Initiatives- ASTA members have access to a host of special programs including: Discovering Strings and Orchestra; Increasing Access to Strings: Piloting After-School Music Programs; and recruitment posters, brochures, pamphlets, and more.
Collaborative Partnerships––ASTA is the national leader in string education. As a member we have nurtured partnerships to help you be a more effective string educator including: discounted instrument insurance from Merz-Huber; membership in your ASTA State Chapter; preferred pricing on ASTA publications and discounts from our String Industry Council members; and ongoing collaborations with Americans for the Arts, NAMM, SupportMusic.com, League of American Orchestras and others.
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