Emily M. Westphal has excelled in teaching private lessons since 2017 and leading the orchestra program at Williston Middle School Central Campus since 2019. In the latter role, she teaches grades six through eight, focusing on differentiating lessons to meet various student needs, selecting music, working on myriad administrative tasks, and booking the school auditorium and handling contracts. Since starting at the campus, she has grown the program to about 120 students and now teaches a full course load.

Attributing her success to hard work, determination, and the many supportive people throughout her life, Ms. Westphal grew up with a love and passion for music, playing significant roles in orchestras from elementary school to high school. Her high school music teachers noticed her natural talents and encouraged her to pursue a career in music education. Upon graduating in 2015, she studied at Concordia College in Minnesota, where she largely built the music program from the ground up., ultimately earning a bachelor’s degree in music education in 2019.

Ms. Westphal has been a member of the American String Teachers Association since 2018 and a Western region orchestra representative with the North Dakota Music Education Board since 2014. Looking toward the future, she hopes to see significant growth in the string program at WMSCC and strives to support the development of a community initiative, such as a youth orchestra. Her goal is to help it flourish in her community alongside her program.

Outside of work hours, Ms. Westphal enjoys spending time with her husband, reading, cooking, baking, and walking her dog.