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Mr. Ryan Watson - Manzanita Elementary, District Orchestra Coordinator
Mr. Ryan Watson - Manzanita Elementary, District Orchestra Coordinator
Mr. Watson is a native Tucsonan. He began playing viola in TUSD's orchestra program and played in the Tucson Junior Strings and Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra. His experiences in these programs inspired him to pursue a career in teaching and conducting.
After earning his degree from University of Arizona, Mr. Watson taught orchestra in Las Vegas, Nevada for 14 years. He launched the orchestra program at Del Sol High School in 2004. In 2005 he was named the "Emerging New Teacher of the Year" by the Nevada American String Teacher's Association. In 2007 he became director at Coronado High School in Henderson, NV. Under his leadership, the program grew to one of the largest high school programs in Nevada serving 170 students with 3 levels of orchestra including a full symphony orchestra.
In 2018, Mr. Watson returned home to Tucson to join in building a new orchestra program in the Catalina Foothills School District. He teaches orchestra at Manzanita Elementary and Catalina Foothills High School. He extremely excited to be part of building an exceptional orchestra program in the Catalina Foothills.
Email: rwatson@cfsd16.org
Ms. Bethany Wigtil - Canyon View and Ventana Vista Elementary Schools
Ms. Bethany Wigtil - Canyon View and Ventana Vista Elementary Schools
Ms. Wigtil grew up in Tucson and started playing viola in 4th grade in TUSD. She attended Rincon High School and participated in Tucson Junior Strings throughout middle school and high school. After graduating from the University of Arizona with her degree in Music Education and a minor in Psychology, Ms. Wigtil began her music education career in Tucson. She has taught orchestra at numerous schools in several districts, focusing on recruitment, retention, growth, and collaboration. Her students frequently earn high ratings at festivals, perform in honor orchestras, and some have gone on to pursue music in college. In addition to teaching in the classroom, Ms. Wigtil has also taught violin and viola lessons to students across the country, both virtually and in person.
Ms. Wigtil is pursuing many new endeavors as she established herself in Tucson again. She is a strong advocate for her students, believing that music is for everyone and is a pure form of self expression, connection and community. She is excited to be back in Tucson to share in music making with the amazing young musicians in Southern Arizona and in Catalina Foothills.
Email: bwigtil@cfsd16.org
Dr. Jason Sah - Sunrise Drive Elementary School
Dr. Jason Sah - Sunrise Drive Elementary School
Dr. Jason Sah is formerly Professor of Upper Strings and Chair of Chamber Music at the Universitaria Juan N. Corpas School of Music in Bogota, Colombia. He has served as a Resident String Teaching Artist at St. Mary’s University, MN and the Universidad Juarez del Estado Durango in Mexico. He has taught on the summer faculties of the Beverly Hills and Montecito International Music Festivals and the Sequoia and Point Counterpoint Chamber Music festivals. He has performance degrees in both Violin and Viola, and is a graduate of the Doctor of Musical Arts Program of the Eastman School of Music.
Dr. Sah’s love of working with young people led him to public school teaching. For the past 10 years he has taught across the US and India. He is a 2021 Global Leaders Institute Alumnus and Hildegard Behrens Humanitarian Laureate with a keen interest in enriching communities through the arts. He is a sought-after adjudicator and a regular lecturer on classroom string pedagogy. Dr. Sah is thrilled to be teaching at Orange Grove Middle School and Sunrise Drive Elementary School. He loves living in Tucson with his wife Larissa and their two children.
Email: jsah@cfsd16.org
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