Middle School Orchestra
Margaret selby
Margaret Selby is the orchestra director and 2020-21 Teacher of the Year at Laing Middle School in Charleston, SC where she grew the program from 42 to over 200 students in five years. Mrs. Selby’s orchestras have participated in SCMEA Concert Performance Assessment and other festivals in the southeast, earning superior ratings.
Mrs. Selby was the 2022 Featured Clinician for the Orchestra Division of the Texas Music Educators Association, is a coauthor of the Habits of a Successful Young String Musician, a beginner method book (GIA), and is a contributing author of Rehearsing the Middle School Orchestra, published by Meredith Music and distributed by GIA.
She has been a guest conductor for the Interlochen Arts Camp, All-State Orchestras in Florida and West Virginia, and multiple regional orchestras in Texas and across the Southeast. Ms. Selbyhas presented sessions for the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, multiple national ASTA conferences, the Texas Orchestra Directors Association, and state music educator conferences in Ohio, New Mexico, Georgia, and South Carolina. She has adjudicated orchestras in Las Vegas and South Carolina, and has been a clinician for the Ohio State String Teacher Workshop, Arizona ASTA Fall Workshop, and the Habits Universal Summer Institute. She served as the President for the SCMEA Orchestra Division and is currently the SCMEA Orchestra Division Region 4 Representative. Mrs. Selby is the 2017-18 String Educator of the Year awarded by Southern String Supply.
Mrs. Selby earned degrees in Music Education and Cello Performance from the University of South Carolina, studying under Dr. Robert Jesselson, and has performed with the South Carolina Philharmonic, the Charleston Symphony, and regularly as a freelance cellist. She is also are gistered Suzuki cello teacher. Mrs. Selby lives in Mt. Pleasant, SC with her husband and has two great kids. She enjoys running and sampling Charleston’s many amazing restaurants.
Middle School Orchestra
Tiffany Ou-Ponticelli
Tiffany Ou-Ponticelli teaches orchestra at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, CA. Ms. Ou-Ponticelli holds a B.A. in Music Education (viola) from the University of California, Los Angeles. She earned her master’s degree in Music Education from the University of Michigan, where her research focused on group composition and student musical self-efficacy in the middle school orchestra classroom. In the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, she studied viola with Richard O’Neill, and received her teaching credential from the UCLA Teacher Education Program. Her ensembles at Gunn High School and previously at Fletcher Middle School, consistently receive superior ratings at festivals. Under Ms. Ou-Ponticelli’s direction, the Henry M. Gunn High School Orchestras have performed at conferences including the Midwest Clinic International Band & Orchestra Conference (2022), the American String Teachers Association National Orchestra Festival (2018), and were named “Grand Champions” at the Orchestra Cup National Orchestra Championships (2024).
Ms. Ou-Ponticelli currently serves as President of the California Orchestra Directors Association (CODA), as Secretary of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) national Board of Directors, and as Website Editor for California Music Educators Association (CMEA) Bay Section. She has also held positions as CODA All-State Orchestras Coordinator, CODA Secretary, CMEA Bay Section Orchestra Representative, and has served as a member of the American String Teacher’s Journal Editorial Committee. Ms. Ou-Ponticelli has presented at state and national conferences including ASTA and CASMEC, and has been an invited conductor for county- and state-level honor ensembles. She was the recipient of the 2022 CMEA Bay Section Outstanding Orchestra Educator Award, and the 2023 CMEA State Richard L. Levin Orchestra Educator Award.
Ms. Ou-Ponticelli is an active clinician, guest conductor, violist, and vocalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to her orchestral background, she is a lifelong choral singer and currently performs as an alto with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus. Ms. Ou-Ponticelli holds a Level III Orff Certification and is an advocate for incorporating Orff pedagogy in the secondary ensemble setting. Her research interests include musical self-efficacy, repertoire diversity, and solfège singing for instrumentalists.
9th & 10th Grade String Orchestra
Dr. NaimA Burrs
Naima Burrs, D.M.A, a violinist and conductor from Richmond, VA, has performed as a section violinist with many ensembles including the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra, and the Waterloo Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra as well as serving as principal second violin with Opera on the James and as concertmaster of Summer Garden Opera. Burrs was selected as a participant in the Conducting Academy of the Domaine Forget International Music Festival (Québec, Canada), where she studied with Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Metropolitan Opera House and Philadelphia Orchestra. In January of 2022, Burrs was appointed Music Director of the Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and concluded her tenure after two exciting seasons, in 2024.
Burrs has collaborated with prominent solo artists both locally and internationally, including pianist Joanne Kong, clarinetist LeTriel White, violinist Anyango Yarbo-Davenport, and cellist Christoph Wagner. In August 2022, she became a member of the University of Richmond's faculty, where she also currently leads the University of Richmond Symphony Orchestra. In 2023, Burrs made her guest conducting debut with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and in the same year, was appointed as the Youth Concert conductor with the National Philharmonic Orchestra, leading eight performances for their educational series at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD. Most recently, Burrs made her conducting debut with the Richmond Ballet, leading the Richmond Symphony in 6 performances for the annual presentation of The Nutcracker. During the 2024-2025 season, Naima will lead the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and the National Philharmonic in mainstage performances.
Naima Burrs serves as the Director of Orchestral Activities at Virginia State University (Petersburg, VA) and has previously contributed to the faculties of Longwood University (Farmville, VA) and Hampden-Sydney College (Hampden Sydney, VA). Burrs holds degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University (B.A. in music), the University of Northern Iowa (M.M. in violin performance), and the Catholic University of America (D.M.A. in instrumental conducting).
11th & 12th Grade String Orchestra
Felipe Morales-Torres
Felipe Morales-Torres is an orchestral conductor and educator focused on empowering the next generation of musicians and teachers. He has conducted the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras’ Concert Orchestra since 2015, working with staff and students to develop a unique ensemble experience that explores a diverse range of repertoire and its social contexts. Under his direction, the Concert Orchestra was named a national finalist for the 2019 American Prize in Orchestral Programming and was selected to open the 2020 Ohio Music Education Association State Conference in a featured ensemble performance. Mr. Morales has also coached chamber ensembles for the Cincinnati Symphony Nouveau Program, which supports student musicians from Black, Latinx, and Native American descent.
In addition to his roles with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Morales teaches instrumental music education for Northern Kentucky University and he serves as Assistant Director of the Bornoff Foundation for the Advancement of String Education (FASE), which is an organization dedicated to furthering equity in orchestral music education. He is the co-creator and manager of the FASE Diverse String Teachers Fellowship, a professional development program aiming to advance the inclusion, retention, and overall success of orchestra teachers from underrepresented backgrounds. The program brings together teachers from across the country and provides opportunities for training, funding, resources, leadership, mentorship, and community. In addition, Mr. Morales helps FASE to lead teacher workshops and student music programs throughout the United States and Latin America. He also frequently conducts honors ensembles and presents clinics on string and full orchestra music education.
Being deeply connected to his own Latin American heritage, Mr. Morales is driven to engage diverse student musicians and to make quality opportunities accessible to them. He previously served as the orchestra director for Anderson High School and Winton Woods City Schools and has played a part in several community music programs, including the Louisville Youth Orchestra and the Dayton Philharmonic's Q The Music. The Anderson orchestras were known for their focus on symphonic orchestra literature, but Mr. Morales also helped students engage in a variety of new musical outlets, such as feature-length film concerts, staged ballets, and the Anderson Contemporary Ensemble (ACE). During his tenure at Winton Woods, the orchestra program doubled in size and offerings expanded to include electric ensembles, summer camps, frequent guest artists, and multicultural performance tours. He was recognized with the district’s Most Influential Teacher Award twice, in 2015 and 2017.
Although he started his musical life as a violist, Mr. Morales later pursued bassoon performance and music education at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. In 2019, he completed a Masters degree in Music Education and Orchestral Conducting, earning the UC Excellence in Teaching Award for his work with undergraduate music education majors. He has participated in a number of professional conducting fellowships since 2015, working with Diane Wittry (Allentown Symphony), Gzegorz Nowak (London Philharmonic), and Leonid Grin (National Symphony of Chile). In 2022, he received CCM’s Young Alumni Award for his contributions to music education in Cincinnati and beyond.
9th & 10th Grade Full Orchestra
Dr. Mark Laycock
Dr. Mark Laycock is a Professor of Music at Wichita State University, where he holds the Ann Walenta Faculty of Distinction Endowed Professorship. He has been recognized with the WSU Excellence in Creative Activity Award and the College of Fine Arts Excellence in Teaching Award. He serves as Director of Orchestras and Coordinator of Strings. WSU Symphony Orchestra appearances under his direction include international tours to Spain and Canada, a concert at Carnegie Hall, and multiple invited performances at Kansas Music Educators Association In-Service Workshops. Dr. Laycock is a member of the Board of Directors of the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic; he serves as Chair of Orchestra Activities. From 2015-2024, he was Conductor of the Wichita Youth Symphony and Director of the Wichita Youth Orchestras Program.
His work as guest conductor, clinician, or adjudicator spans 35 states. Recent appearances include the Bangkok International String Festival, the Texas Conducting Workshop, all-state orchestras in California, Nevada, and Wyoming, educational sessions at the Conn-Selmer Institute and The Ohio State University String Teacher Workshop, adjudication in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Indiana, and honor ensembles in Minnesota, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia. Dr. Laycock served the National Orchestra Festival as adjudicator, clinician, and, in 2018 and 2019, chair of the event. His appearances with professional ensembles include the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, Wichita Grand Opera, and Opera Kansas, as well as orchestras in Slovakia and Canada. Dr. Laycock has presented clinic sessions for numerous state education conferences as well as the Northwest and Northeast Division Conventions of the National Association for Music Education and the Midwest Clinic. An active member of the American String Teachers Association, he has provided sessions for numerous ASTA National Conferences, worked as adjudicator, clinician, and chair of the National Orchestra Festival, contributed multiple articles to the American String Teacher journal, and served as an appointed member of the ASTA Conducting Committee.
A frequent visitor to Australia, he gave professional development sessions for instrumental music educators in Brisbane, was a conductor for the Queensland State Honours Ensemble Program, was a Chief Adjudicator for the Victorian School Music Festival in Melbourne, served as a Keynote Presenter for the Australian Strings Association 2018 National Conference in Perth, and was a Keynote Speaker for the 2021 Australian National Band and Orchestra Conference. Dr. Laycock is a five-time invited music education panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, evaluating grant applications from institutions throughout the country. He is a chapter author for the fourth volume of Teaching Music through Performance in Orchestra and a featured contributor to Rehearsing the Full Orchestra, both published by GIA.
Dr. Laycock served as Director of Orchestras and Instrumental Music at Chapman University in Orange, California, where he led invited performances for the California Music Educators Association and at Disneyland. He was also Principal Conductor of the Irvine (CA) Classical Players, leading the youth orchestra on concert tours to Italy (2006) and France (2008). Previously, Dr. Laycock was Director of Orchestral Activities at Iowa State University and Music Director of the Central Iowa Symphony. Under his leadership, the ISU Symphony Orchestra performed at the North Central Division Convention of the Music Educators National Association and collaborated with such artists as bass-baritone Simon Estes and pianist-composer Marvin Hamlisch. He began his career as an instructor of strings and orchestra at the middle and high school levels in the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. He earned a Doctor of Arts degree in orchestral conducting from the University of Northern Colorado. Dr. Laycock holds a Master of Music degree in instrumental conducting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music history and literature from the University of Southern California.
11th & 12th Grade Full Orchestra
Dr. Soo Han
Dr. Soo Han is the Director of Orchestral Studies at George Mason University’s Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music in Fairfax, Virginia; Music Director of the Elkhart County Symphony in Indiana; and a member of the Board of Directors of the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. He is a composer and arranger with Hal Leonard, and is also a contributing editor for Essential Elements for Strings.
As an active conductor, Dr. Han has appeared with numerous professional and university orchestras. He is a frequent conductor for all-state, regional, and honor orchestras, appearing in more than 30 states, and has conducted ensembles in Australia, Austria, China, and Thailand. He has produced multiple recordings of complete symphonies, and has premiered several commissioned works for strings and full orchestras. Dr. Han has presented workshops and clinics internationally and for nearly every major national and state music conference, including Australian String Teacher Conference, Maryborough National Australia Conference, The Midwest Clinic, ASTA National Conference, NAfME National Conference, and Ohio University Summer String Teacher Workshop. Prior to his position at George Mason, Dr. Han served as the Director of Orchestral Studies at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music in Berea, Ohio and was the program coordinator and faculty member with Los Angeles Philharmonic’s summer YOLA program.
Dr. Han is a Conn-Selmer Educational Clinician, and co-author, contributor, and managing editor for Teaching Music through Performance in Orchestra, Vol. 4, one of the leading orchestra pedagogical resources published by GIA. He is a past president of the Indiana American String Teachers Association and his high school orchestras were nine-time Indiana State School Music Association champions. Having taught in the public schools for fifteen years, he is a passionate supporter of school music programs, and continues to remain active in instrumental classrooms throughout the country.
Soo received his Bachelor of Instrumental Music Education degree from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where he studied piano under Edward Auer. He received his Master of Science in Education from the Indiana University School of Education, and his Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from the Michigan State University College of Music, where he studied under Kevin Noe. Soo grew up in rural Pennsylvania, and now resides in Washington, D.C. He enjoys distance running, eating amazing food, and traveling near and far with his partner, Gregory, and his faithful canine companion, Lenny.