Teacher Feature | Dr. Wu

In this year’s teacher feature, we decided to find out more about one of the most beloved and talented teachers here at Sewanhaka: Dr. Wu. Dr. Wu is the orchestra teacher for all grades. He also conducts and leads the chamber orchestra, as well as the pit orchestra, notably conducting the pit orchestra in this year’s musical production Kiss Me, Kate. In his free time, he loves playing video games, watching movies, cooking food, and petting his dog. Some of his favorite musicians include Beethoven, Gustav Mahler, and Metallica. When we asked him where his love for orchestra began, we were surprised by his answer. “It really took its course when I was a junior in high school,” he responded. “I’ve been playing bass since I was in 4th grade, but I didn’t really care about too much of it. I was just playing bass to play bass and I never really understood why I was playing it.” However, once he got into high school, he really started to think about why he was in orchestra, and realized the sense of community and togetherness orchestra, and music in general, can bring, as well as how much it could affect himself. 

After college, he had then found Sewanhaka because of its music programs, and gladly joined our Sewanhaka family. Some of his greatest achievements include earning his doctorate in the musical arts, which took him 6 years to complete, and in his own words, being able to teach here at Sewanhaka. He also loves playing video games and sharing music and movie recommendations with his students, boasting that he was the winner of the first-ever faculty Super Smash Bros. tournament. However, considering how young he is, we asked him what his plans for the future were and he gave us a profound answer. “There’s so many things thrown at you throughout life, and I would like to say I will be here for a while, but there’s so many opportunities for people out there,” he responded sincerely. “I currently teach at Five Towns College in Dix Hills, but I would love to stay here at Sewanhaka for as long as I can.” If you want to see more information on our interview with Dr. Wu, feel free to click on the full article. We love having you around Dr. Wu, and we can’t wait to make more memories with you here at Sewanhaka!