Miller South School - Enrollment Process

MILLER SOUTH
ORCHESTRA

Miller South String Orchestra YouTube Channel

Douglas Bayda

Orchestra Director

Douglas Bayda has been the Director of Orchestras at Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts since 2009. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Bowling Green State University, graduating Summa Cum Laude. He also earned a Master of Music in Wind Instrument Performance degree from The University of Michigan, where he was awarded a fellowship to study clarinet with Fred Ormand. He is an active member of the National Association for Music Education and the Ohio Music Education Association where he is an adjudicator for both Solo and Ensemble as well as Large Group Adjudicated events.

The Miller South String Orchestra was invited to perform at the 2011 OMEA Professional Conference, and he chaired the 2015 Ohio All-State Orchestra. In addition to teaching at Miller South, Mr. Bayda has been the conductor of the Akron Youth Philharmonic since 2012. While teaching at Miller South, Mr. Bayda was awarded Teacher of the Year for Miller South and was a finalist for the APS Teacher of the Year in 2013. Besides teaching for APS, he also taught for the Princeton City Schools in Cincinnati, the Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, KY, and as an adjunct faculty member at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

He has continued his studies in string pedagogy, string instrument repair, conducting, and teacher enrichment at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and Walsh University in North Canton.

Orchestra At-A-Glance

4th Grade Exploratory

All Miller South 4th grade students receive a 6 week string exploratory class where they learn the basics of playing a string instrument. Students are given the opportunity to choose the violin, viola, cello, or bass. Skills such as proper posture, music reading, use of the bow, and working as part of an ensemble are introduced. All instruments and music are provided for the students at no cost.

Beginner Orchestra

Students who have completed the 4th grade string exploratory may join this class as a 5th grader. In addition, new students to the building in the 4th, 5th and 6th grades may join the Beginning Orchestra. The class meets every day during the school year. Students provide their own instrument and book. Many students who are in the 5th or 6th grade may have 2 interest areas, and the class is composed of students who are also in vocal, piano, dance, theater, and visual art. Students do not have to drop their original interest area in order to be in the Beginning Orchestra.

Intermediate Orchestra

Students who have completed Beginning Orchestra the previous year as well as all 4th, 5th, and 6th grade string interest area students who have successfully completed an audition are in the Intermediate Orchestra. This is a continuation of the training students received the previous year. The class meets daily and presents 3 evening concerts throughout the year.

String Orchestra

The String Orchestra is made up of students in the 7th and 8th grade. It is the premier orchestra at Miller South which meets daily and presents numerous concerts throughout the year. As with previous groups, the String Orchestra has students from all of the different interest areas at Miller South.

Additional Opportunities

Miller South Clubs: The Tri-M Music Honor Society

Other Ensembles: Akron Youth Philharmonic, Akron Youth Symphony and the Canton Youth Symphony.

Music Theory/Lessons

Open to 7th and 8th grade string interest area students, this class serves several functions which may change from year to year based on the experience of the students in the class. Students are introduced to the basics of music theory, composition, and music history. In addition, students in this class have the opportunity to work on advancing their individual playing skills as well as participating in chamber music with their classmates.

Performance

Students involved in the orchestra program at Miller South have an opportunity to learn a life-long skill of playing an instrument. Each of the groups present evening concerts throughout the year as well as morning performances for the school. The music represents a wide range of styles that are appropriate for the skill level of each group.