VOTING BALLOT  TBA

Voting Form due October 15, 2011

Colorado ASTA Outstanding Teacher Award

          This year’s nominees for the Colorado ASTA Outstanding teacher award are Dr. James Fittz and Mr. Fred Jewell.  Both of the gentlemen have dedicated their lives to string education and to Colorado ASTA.  How fortunate we are to have them as members in our state organization.  I would like to congratulate them both on having been nominated for this prestigious award.

          Below you will find their bios.  Voting for this award will end on October 15th.  A ballot is included at the top of this page.  Please postmark or email your ballot to Daryl Counsell, 1640 Columbine Place, Colorado Springs, CO  80907 or email me at castasrep@aol.com by midnight on October 15, 2011.  This award will be presented at the 2012 CMEA convention which will be held in January at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO.

Dr. James Fittz

James Fittz began his formal music studies at the age of five. At the age of sixteen he won first prize in the International Music Competition in Tokyo, Japan. His principal teachers were internationally renowned artists Gordon Epperson and Yoshio Sato. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and philosophy from Wheaton College (Illinois) and the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in cello performance and music literature from the University of Arizona.Jim has taught cello at Wheaton College, the University of Arizona, Central Washington University, Shenandoah Conservatory, and New Mexico State University before joining the string faculty of the School of Music, University of Northern Colorado, where he is now Professor Emeritus.He has performed throughout the United States, in Asia and in South America as recitalist, as concerto solo artist, and as guest chamber music artist. He has appeared in festival orchestras, on public radio and television, and as a member of touring chamber music ensembles.Long a champion of contemporary music, Jim has presented premiere performances for several composers who have written expressly for him including such luminaries as Richard Faith, Blas Emilio Atehortua, and John Rinehart. He recorded John Rinehart's Paths for Amplified Cello and Synthesized Sound on the SCI label. Rinehart writes concerning his choice of cellist, "James Fittz is among the country's finest artists; his playing commands a broad range of expression and technique and a communicative warmth that makes him a favorite of audiences everywhere."

During twenty-five years as Professor of Cello at UNC’s School of Music, Jim provided, individually, with a pianist colleague, with string faculty colleagues, and with the Colorado Arts Quartet, literally hundreds of performances and clinics in public schools in the region. He presented several workshops for public school faculty colleagues dealing with string pedagogy and with instrument maintenance and repair.

Dr. Fittz has also presented workshops and performances at CMEA under the auspices of Colorado ASTA and the CMEA College and University Council as well as conducted numerous district orchestras at all levels.

He served on the Executive Board of Colorado ASTA for six years.  He served as Chair of the College and University Council of the CMEA Board for four contiguous years. Dr. Fittz is one of two major architects (with Richard Fuchs) of the Western States Honor Orchestra Festival (formerly Weekend for Strings) at UNC.

He is (with Richard Fuchs) one of two major sponsors, designers, and directors of the Colorado ASTA summer workshop which was begun and which for several years met at UNC bringing such clinicians as Barry Green (The Inner Game of Music and Ten Pathways to True Artistry), Yvonne Tait (twice President of the American Suzuki Association), Gerald Fishbach (Violinist, ASTA President at the time), and others.

Most importantly, after thirty-five years of college level string teaching, Jim has former students, (cello and otherwise) all over Colorado, the nation, and, indeed, the world, bringing string artistry to generations of string players and teachers.

Mr. Fred Jewell

Originally from El Paso, Texas, Fred Jewell received a Bachelor’s of Music Education degree from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1987 and continued studies toward a Master’s In Music Education. Fred began his teaching career as a Suzuki Talent Education violin teacher in 1980 in El Paso. He later expanded his teaching to include violin instruction at the El Paso Hebrew Day School teaching the entire student body of ninety-five students ranging from Kindergarten through Fifth Grade and later as the Orchestra Director at H. E. Charles Middle School in the El Paso Independent School District. He studied violin for ten years with Abraham Chavez, Jr. and conducting with Maestro Chavez and Dr. Ron Hufstader at UTEP. Fred maintained a private Suzuki violin studio in El Paso and later in Boulder, Colorado for over two decades. Fred has been a resident of Colorado since 1994 and now teaches in the Boulder Valley School District as the Orchestra Specialist at several schools within the district. Several of his former students in Texas and in Colorado have gone on to pursue professional teaching careers as Suzuki, private, public school and university music teachers and as professional performers.

In El Paso, Fred performed with the El Paso Symphony for fifteen seasons. He was also a member of the Viva! El Paso Outdoor Musical Drama for two seasons, a performer and member of the Board of Directors for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of El Paso, Inc. for twelve years and a violinist with El Paso Pro Musica for four seasons.  He also performed with the El Paso Early Music Consort playing violin, vielle and percussion and as a vocalist. In Colorado, he substituted as a violinist with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra for two seasons between 1994 and 1996. In 2003 Fred was hired as Concertmaster for the Denver Pops Orchestra under the direction of Zina Richardson and performed with DPO until May of 2009. Fred now performs with the Longmont Symphony Orchestra as section violist under the direction of Dr. Robert Olson. He can often be heard performing at weddings and Sunday services at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Boulder and less frequently at other churches and locales in the Denver metro area.

Since 1999 Fred has been on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Chapter of the American String Teachers’ Association and serves as Newsletter Editor for the String Vibrations newsletter. He also serves as the Northern Governor for Colorado All-State Orchestra and serves on their governing Board.

Fred has done extensive work with the Board of Directors of the Trouble Clef Theatre Company, a fully professional theatre company based in Boulder. TCTC produced several shows in the Greater Denver Metro area for over six seasons specializing in shows by Stephen Sondheim. Fred is also a founding member of the Eagle String Quartet affiliated with St. John’s Episcopal Church in Boulder.

As a student of Dr. Joseph Packales, Fred is a free-lance composer of string, keyboard and vocal music. Fred has seen his works performed in public and private settings by ensembles such as the Ars Nova Singers, the Eagle String Quartet, several Colorado school orchestras, and many individual professional musicians.

Below you will find a list of the criteria for the award. As you consider nominees, please keep this information in mind.

The award will be presented at the Western State Orchestra Concert held in Greeley in November 2011.

REQUIRED:

1.      All nominees must be a registered CASTA member during the time consideration.

2.      Exemplifies teaching excellence in string education either in the classroom or in the private studio.

3.      Has mentored a new teacher or prospective teacher during the past 12 months

4.      Serves on district, state, or national music committees.

ADDITIONAL CRITERIA RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED

5.      Presenter at a CMEA, CASTA or other professional music education conference.

6.      Has served or is serving on the CASTA board or on a CASTA committee.

Nominations need to be mailed to Daryl Counsell, 1640 Columbine Place, Colorado Springs, CO. 80907. The Deadline for receiving nominations is August 15, 2011.