Meet Mrs. Amie Vredenburg
Nurturing Music in the Classroom and Beyond
by Benjamin Lliguicota
Embedded Files
Williamsville’s music and arts programs have consistently garnered praise and attention across the country. In fact, students participate in a wide range of state and county programs like NYSSMA, All-County ensembles, NYSBDA Honor Band, and NAfME All-Eastern Honors Ensembles. The Williamsville Central School District has also been named one of the "Best Communities for Music Education" by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation since 2009. These achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the support of many, including teachers, school staff, and private instructors who help to enhance all of our programs.
Mrs. Amie Vredenburg
For the month of June, the WMB would like to place a spotlight on Mrs. Amie Vredenburg, the 7–8 orchestra teacher at Mill Middle School. She has been teaching at Mill since 2013 but began her career in 1999. She primarily plays the violin and is a regular sub in the BPO, helps run the orchestras at Bristol Hills Music Camp, and enjoys anything outdoors, like kayaking. Mrs. V—as her students refer to her— was initially inspired to pursue music education by her experiences with her school music teachers. She knew from a young age that she loved music and had a job as a nanny during middle and high school. She found that she wanted to have a career that involved both. “Music ed seemed to be the perfect mixture of childcare plus my love for music—and here I am!” she revealed during an interview with the WMB.
In addition to the violin, she can also play all string instruments, including the guitar, as well as the piano. “When we're in college to become music teachers, we have to learn all the instruments—like the band instruments that you would typically have to teach if you got a job that included some band lessons. But I haven't had to do that, so I haven't touched any of those instruments in a long time.”
Mrs. Vredenburg with Ms. JoAnn Faletta (BPO Music Director)
Mrs. Vredenburg with Cheektowaga Symphony Orchestra
She is also active in the Western New York musical community on top of teaching! Mrs. V plays regularly in a string quartet and is the concertmaster of the Cheektowaga Symphony Orchestra. “I also play in what you call a lot of gigs, so I play in theaters—like the Theatre of Youth often asks me to play if they need a violinist … I play in a string quartet regularly, and we do a lot of weddings—pretty much one or two every weekend throughout the summer,” Mrs. V stated. In addition to music, she loves reading, playing sports, and watching her kids play their sports and perform music. She is also exploring and adopting a philosophy called minimalism, which includes paring down personal belongings.
Mrs. V with orchestra students at Bristol Hill Music Camp
A major part of her summer is Bristol Hills Music Camp. According to her, it’s not just about music; it’s a real camp experience! “Bristol is my family’s favorite week of the year. It's a very special place. Students who love music and also camping—because we do stay in cabins—would enjoy it. It's definitely not just music.” The camp has something for everyone, with a wide range of electives from photography or digital class to advanced guitar and jazz band. “We just get to really know each other at camp—it becomes a family. Lots of kids, I notice, find their people there, and they make friends for a lifetime. That's a really great reason to go to a camp: just kind of submerge yourself with people who like the same things that you like, and it expands your horizons.”
One of her main goals as a teacher is to make sure that students can keep music an important part of their lives. Students’ continued participation in their early years can have a great effect on their appreciation and support in future years. Eventually, she hopes they have their own kids participate in music as well. “If I do my job well, people will support the professional arts … Especially if they keep playing—not even necessarily as a music major—but if they’re in dorms one day and people are getting together to play some music for fun, they can do something they learned and apply it to a new instrument, like a ukulele or something like that,” Mrs. V explained. Additionally, as a conductor of the district’s summer orchestra, she also wants to keep the music going even throughout the days when school isn’t in session. Rather than be without an instrument or motivation over the summer break, lots of people make themselves available for summer orchestra. “I think that the fact we start with such young students—who in many cases don’t really know how to read the notes yet, or they are not really ready for the music that I’m giving them right away—by the end of those two short weeks, they totally have a sense of how orchestras work and how you can incorporate the things you can do, even if you can’t do everything.”
Mrs. V Conducting Mill Middle School Orchestra
Mrs. V with Robin (Guest Artist for Spectrum Concert)
Mrs. Vredenburg’s dedication to music within the district and in Western New York has made her an exceptional teacher and member of the community. The Music Boosters is proud to support the music program made significant by people like her. From the school year and beyond, she has consistently shown passion for her job! Thank you, Mrs. V, for being such an important part of our Williamsville community!
Mrs. V Conducting Mill Middle School orchestra at Daren Lake Music Festival
Mrs. V Conducting Mill Middle School orchestra at Kleinhans Concert Hall
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