Music education and community engagement are two of my top priorities as music director of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony. In general, I believe that efforts in these areas define the future of symphonic music in this country.
In advance of the 2008 WCFSO Youth Concerts I visited Edison School in Waterloo [with whom the symphony is a Partner-in-Education] and a diverse group of eleven other elementary schools in the Cedar Valley. Fourth and fifth grade students learned the basics of the orchestra, tried out their conducting moves, and then considered the history and significance of Antonín Dvořák's visit to America and his stay in nearby Spillville, Iowa. Click on the image above to see my visit to Edison and read more about this year's 'Home & Away' Youth Concerts.