C L I N I C I A N S A T B U T L E R
The following professors have visited students at Butler to share their knowledge and love of music.
Butler Senior High Orchestra
DR. JASON WORZBYT
Jason Worzbyt is professor of Bassoon and associate director of Bands at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He holds a BS in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Music in wind conducting from the University of North Texas, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in bassoon performance from the University of North Texas. Worzbyt has performed, recorded, and been featured as a soloist with wind ensembles and orchestras all across the country. These ensembles include the Keystone Wind Ensemble, IUP Wind Ensemble, North Texas Wind Symphony, North Texas New Music Ensemble, Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Highland Wind Quintet, and the IUP Faculty Woodwind Quintet. As a guest conductor, Worzbyt has worked with elementary, junior high, senior high, and professional ensembles in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Indiana, and Kentucky. Highlights of these appearances include the Indiana Junior High All State Band, New Jersey All State Symphonic Band, PMEA All State Orchestra, PMEA Western Region State Orchestra, PMEA Region III Band, PMEA Region IV Band, PMEA Region V Band, PMEA District 4 and 6 Orchestras in Johnstown and Westmont, PMEA District 2,3,5 Orchestras in Indiana and Purchase Line, and PMEA District Bands in Pittsburgh, York, Berlin, Johnstown, Punxsutawney, and Philadelphia.
Butler Senior High Orchestra & Butler Intermediate High School Orchestra
STEPHEN WEISS
Stephen Weiss is a native of Pittsburgh, PA. He holds a Bachelors of Music in Viola Performance from Duquesne University where he studied with Marylene Gingras-Roy of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He is currently pursuing his Masters of Music at Carnegie Mellon University where he studies with violists David Harding and Tatjana Chamis-Mead, Assistant Principal Violist the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Stephen is currently Assistant Principal Violist for the Butler County Symphony Orchestra, a violist for the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, and a founding member of the Ferrum String Quartet. At Carnegie Mellon University, he is the Assistant Principal Violist of the CMU Philharmonic, and he is a member of the CMU Contemporary Music Ensemble. Other orchestral experience includes seasons with the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra (2011-13), and the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra (2013), where he was their Principal Violist. Solo experience includes performing as a guest soloist with the Pittsburgh Historical Music Society, once in 2013 and again in 2015. He has also performed the Brandenburg Concerto no. 6 at the Interharmony International Music Festival in Arcidosso, Italy.
Butler Senior High Orchestra
DAVID SINCLAIR
David W. Sinclair is a native of Western Pennsylvania, and was largely self-taught before beginning his undergraduate work. He received a Bachelor of Music with distinction in viola performance from the Eastman School of Music and holds a Master of Music and Artist Diploma in viola performance from Duquesne University. Mr. Sinclair is currently the principal violist with the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra in Greensburg, PA, in addition to his work as a chamber musician. He has appeared with the Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Heidelberg Schlossfestespiele Opera Orchestra, Academy Chamber Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic, Butler Symphony, Johnstown Symphony, Altoona Symphony, McKeesport Symphony, Youngstown Symphony and the Wheeling Symphony among other groups. He taught viola and violin at the Westmoreland Suzuki School of Music for several years and was also the Music Director of the Westmoreland Junior Strings, the Seton Center String Orchestra, and the Westmoreland Youth Symphony String Ensemble. Currently he is the Music Director of the newly formed Seton Strings ensemble. He was also the Violin/Viola faculty for the Waldorf School of Pittsburgh. In addition, Mr. Sinclair spent eight years as the viola coach of the Greater Erie Youth Symphony Orchestra and accompanied them on a successful tour of Italy He has been on the faculty of Seton Hill University as adjunct instructor of Violin and Viola since 1999.
Butler Senior High Orchestra
DR. STEPHEN BENHAM
Stephen Benham is Associate Professor of Music Education and Director of Graduate Studies at the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a leading expert in string pedagogy and teaching, Dr. Benham is in high international demand as a clinician, conductor, adjudicator, and consultant, with professional appearances in more than 30 states and throughout Europe.
Dr. Benham completed his undergraduate training at the University of Minnesota and conducted his graduate studies at the University of Michigan (M.M.) and the University of Rochester-Eastman School of Music (Ph.D.). At Duquesne, Dr. Benham teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education and string pedagogy.
Dr. Benham's areas of expertise include string pedagogy, methods, curriculum, assessment, and teacher training. Dr. Benham is the lead author of the ASTA String Curriculum: Standards, Goals, Learning Sequences for Essential Skills and Knowledge in K-12 String Programs. He has also authored several articles and chapters for scholarly journals or books including Encyclopedia of American String Teacher, Journal of Music Teacher Education. Dr. Benham is also an active consultant in the development of new music programs in communities without current string programs across the US, in addition to providing expertise to new music education projects in Eastern, Northern, and Central Europe. Under his direction, more than 20 new community music schools have been founded in Ukraine since 1999. He is an active leader in the music education profession, having served in leadership positions in several states and is president of the American String Teachers Association.
Butler Senior High Orchestra
DR. MELINDA CRAWFORD-PERTTU
Dr. Melinda Crawford Perttu is an associate professor of music at Westminster College in New Wilmington, PA, where she directs the symphony orchestra, teaches the string pedagogy sequence as well as private violin, viola, and Scottish fiddling lessons, and directs Ceòl na Teud, Westminster’s Scottish string ensemble. She also performs with the Butler Symphony, the Warren Philharmonic, the Greenville Symphony, and as part of the Westminster Faculty Piano Trio. She is a frequently invited clinician for the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) national conferences and for branches of NAfME, the national association for music education. Crawford Perttu received her Ph.D. in music education with an emphasis in string pedagogy from The Ohio State University. She also holds an M.A. in music education from The Ohio State University and a B.S. in music education from Duquesne University. Prior to coming to Westminster, Crawford Perttu taught in the public schools of Calvert County, Maryland, and Fairfax County, Virginia.
As a U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Champion, Crawford Perttu has established herself as a leading solo performer, adjudicator, and clinician. She has performed recitals throughout the United States including a recital for the Lord Lyon of Scotland and at many large Scottish cultural events. Her two solo recordings have been met with aclaim. She is a sanctioned Scottish F.I.R.E. competition judge who has been invited to judge many regional competitions as well as the U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Championship five times. She is the founder and director of the Strathgheny School of Scottish Fiddling at Westminster College, and teaches Scottish fiddling internationally to many students over the internet. She is also the author of "A Violinist's Guide to Scottish Fiddling," published by Mel Bay.
Butler Senior High Orchestra
DR. WARREN DAVIDSON
Dr Warren Davidson is the conductor of the Slippery Rock Symphony Orchestra and teachers violin, viola and the strings class at Slippery Rock University. He earned a B.A. cum Laude in Philosophy and Psychology at Duquesne University before turning to full-time violin study, his principal teachers were Alan Grishman and Efim Boico.
He completed an MM in violin at Duquesne, an MA in Theory and Composition at the University of Pittsburgh, a certificate of advanced studies in Chamber Music at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at West Virginia University where he was granted a Swiger Fellowship. Davidson is very active as an orchestral concertmaster, recitalist, and teacher and is comfortable in a wide variety of musical styles. His special teacher interests lie in these areas: technical foundations of violin and viola playing, analysis of technical difficulties, effective practice regimens, tone production, efficient body use, and musical understanding through musical analysis.
Butler Senior High Orchestra
RACHEL STEGEMAN & CHARLES STEGEMAN
Rachel Robinson Stegeman, a native of Washington D.C., began her violin studies at age 8. As a student of National Symphony Concertmaster, William Steck, she quickly developed her performance skills, winning the opportunity to solo with the National Symphony Orchestra with the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. While establishing herself in the D.C. area in 1984–1989, she performed with the National Symphony and Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra (as well as many other orchestras in the area), performed in a string quartet at the White House, traveled to Rome to perform for the Pope, and later won orchestral auditions that led her to California, both with the Pacific and Sacramento Symphonies. After relocating in 1989 and accepting a principal position in the Pacific Symphony in Southern California, Stegeman gradually became one of the most sought after violinists in the recording industry, performing on sessions in the motion picture industry, as well as the television and record industries.
Canadian born violinist Charles Stegeman made his recital debut at age seven in Banff (Alberta, Canada) and debuted as soloist with the Banff Festival Orchestra at age nine. He was awarded a full scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music at the early age of 14 where he earned his Bachelor's Degree, including academic coursework at the prestigious Haverford College, at the age of 20. Stegeman continued his formal music education at the Juilliard School where he earned a Masters Degree of Music Performance and worked towards an Artist Diploma. Stegeman's teachers include Ivan Galamian, Nathan Milstein, Jaime Laredo, Joseph Gingold, Dorothy Delay, and Sally Thomas. He continued with Doctoral studies at the University of Michigan but had to abandon the degree when he was awarded the joint positions of Associate Concertmaster and Assistant Professor of Violin with the Kansas City Symphony and The University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1985.
