Our Judges

Dr. Michael Alexander - joined the faculty of Baylor University in 2006 after 22 years of teaching orchestra in the public schools of Houston, Texas. His duties at Baylor include supervising string student teachers, instruction in classroom string pedagogy, directing the Baylor String Project and conducting the Baylor Campus Orchestra.

Alexander's musical education includes: Bachelor of Music Education (Southwestern University), Master of Music (Sam Houston State University), and Doctor of Musical Arts (University of Houston). He has studied conducting with Kenneth Sheppard , B. R. Henson, Franz Krager, William LaRue Jones, Robert Culver, and Marvin Rabin.

Alexander is in demand as a clinician/conductor and has conducted 25 Region Orchestras in Texas as well as All-State / Honor Orchestras in Florida, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico (twice), North Dakota, Oregon, and South Carolina. He has presented clinics in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, San Antonio, Chicago, Boston, Savannah, Cincinnati, New York, et al.

Alexander is co-author of the "Orchestra Expressions" string series published by Alfred Publishing and "Expressive Techniques for Orchestra" published by Tempo Press. His research focuses on classroom applications of string pedagogy and has been published in the Journal of Research in Music Education, UPDATE: Applications of Research in Music Education, the String Research Journal, Texas Music Education Research, the American String Teacher, and the Southwestern Musician.

During his 22-year tenure as Director of Orchestras at Stratford High School the Stratford Symphony was twice named the Texas Honor Orchestra (1994, 1997) by the Texas Music Educators Association and earned sweepstakes ratings at regional festivals the last 17 of those years. Alexander led the orchestra to invited performances in Chicago, New York, Atlanta, New Orleans, Orlando, Innsbruck, Austria and, in 2000, as the resident orchestra for the conducting master classes at the International Workshops in Glasgow, Scotland.

Alexander has served as President of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association and Vice-President of the Texas Music Educators Association. He has also served as Chairman of the Committee on School Orchestras and Strings for ASTA w/ NSOA. From 1994-2001 Alexander served as Conductor for the Houston Youth Symphony-Philharmonia Orchestra and he has served as Principal Conductor of the Waco Symphony Youth Orchestra since 2006.

Alexander was the first recipient of the Houston Symphony School Bell Award for Excellence in Teaching and, in 1994 and 2006, named Teacher of the Year for Stratford High School. He has received letters of commendation from the City of Houston, the Texas Music Educators Assn., Spring Branch ISD, a Citation of Merit from ASTA/NSOA, and, in 2002, the Elizabeth A.H. Green Award from ASTA/NSOA. In 2006, Alexander was named the Outstanding Alumni in Music Education from the University of Houston and, in 2012, was named Orchestra Director of the Year by the Texas Orchestra Directors Association.

Alexander is active in the Episcopal Church and is devoted to his wife, Suzanne, and their three children: Reed, William, and John.

Dr. Jan Garverick is a dedicated music educator who delights in helping students and teachers learn more about string pedagogy. It’s one of her many passions. In her 50 years of teaching, Jan has been dedicated to the enrichment of life through music and finds fulfillment in the fact that many of her former students have become orchestra directors.

Jan is recently retired from Director of Orchestras at MacArthur High School in the North East Independent School District in San Antonio.  She earned degrees in English and music as well as a Ph.D. in Fine Arts with a major in Music Education from Texas Tech University.  Beginning her career as an itinerant string teacher in the elementary schools of NEISD, Jan has taught strings from kindergarten through university levels. In NEISD, she organized and implemented the first middle school string program, developed a high school string program, and founded the NEISD Summer Orchestra Workshop, serving as its first teacher and coordinator for twelve years. Jan has served in every office of the Texas Chapter of the American String Teachers Association, including President. An active member of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, the Texas Music Educators National Conference, Texas Music Educators Association, Mu Omicron, and the Texas Orchestra Directors Association, Jan has presented clinics at TMEA, TODA and at National ASTA. In addition, she has taught at the Texas Tech Orchestra Camp for twenty-two summers.

Jan’s recent publications, Music for Harp(s) and Young Strings, are string arrangements in collaboration with harpist Gail Barber. Jan was also a contributor to the MENC Benchmarks for Student Compositions. In 2006, she authored four chapters for a reference book entitled Teaching Music Through Performance, Volume Three.  Her most rewarding research in pedagogy was her dissertation entitled Selected Pedagogical Needs of the String Class as addressed in the Compositions of Carold Nunez. Many members of TODA were primary contributors of statistical data for her  research.  Jan has received many accolades during her career, including the Southwestern Bell/UIL Award for Excellence in Teaching for 1999–2000; the MacArthur High School Teacher of the Year Award in 2004; induction into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame in 2005, representing the professional education category; the ASTA National Elizabeth A. H. Green Award in 2006 for demonstrating a current and distinguished career in a school orchestral setting; MacArthur’s 2006 Trinity Prize winner for Excellence in Teaching; and the TODA 2016 Orchestra Director of the Year Award.

Bingiee Shiu is the retired Lead Conductor of the Memorial High School Orchestra program where he conducted the Memorial Sinfonia and Symphony.  He began his musical training at the age of five in the Yamaha Piano Program and then spent the next eleven years as a student of esteemed pedagogue Louise Bianchi, head of the Piano Preparatory Program at Southern Methodist University. 

Mr. Shiu earned the degrees of Bachelor of Music Education from Abilene Christian University and Master of Music in Conducting from Sam Houston State University.  He has additional training in conducting with the American Symphony Orchestra League as well as at the Festival at Sandpoint, with Gunther Schuller.

Mr. Shiu founded the Huntsville Youth Orchestra and the Music Preparatory Program at Sam Houston State University.  He has also taught in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, where he participated in the formation of the Swinging Strings Fifth Grade program, the Summer Orchestra Camp and the curriculum guide for elementary and secondary strings.  He was also the founding conductor-in-residence for the American Festival for the Arts.  He has served on various state committees in Texas, such as the Honor Orchestra Panel, the All-State Chairing Panel and the University Interscholastic League Orchestra Sightreading Selection Committee.  He has also been active as a guest conductor, clinician and adjudicator for orchestras across the country and has served as worship leader in his church.

Mr. Shiu’s honors include Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities, Who’s Who Among American Teachers, Who’s Who in America, Outstanding Young Men in America, and the Cypress-Fairbanks Spotlight Award for excellence in teaching. In the recent past, he was honored as a recipient of the prestigious University Interscholastic League Denius Award, Memorial High School’s Teacher of the Year, Abilene Christian University’s Young Alumnus of the Year Award, the Houston Chronicle Crystal Award, the Spring Branch Teacher of the Year and most recently the Frazier Merriman Award from the American Festival for the Arts.  His orchestras consistently won Sweepstakes Awards, was named Texas’ Honor Orchestra, and has performed in Chicago’s Orchestra Hall and five performances in New York City’s Carnegie Hall. 

In his retirement, Mr. Shiu serves on the boards of AFA and Kinetic Conductorless Ensemble as well as volunteers for the food bank, community centers and his church.