Two Charlottesville Orchestra Directors Win Awards
Two Charlottesville Orchestra Directors Win Awards
Dr. Polly Sibert of Walker Upper Elementary School received James Madison University’s Outstanding Music Educator Award, awarded annually to an alum who demonstrates excellence in musicianship and pedagogy. Dr. Sibert is teaching her 25th year at Walker School.
Laura Mulligan Thomas, who received the same JMU music educator award in 2013, received the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association’s Philip Fuller award in recognition of her longtime service, leadership, and accomplishments. Over the course of more than three decades, she has grown the CHS orchestra program from a group of 8 students to an award-winning group of 145. Their next international tour will be to Ireland in the summer of 2017.
“We are so proud of these two directors,” noted Aaron Eichorst, Coordinator of Fine Arts for Charlottesville City Schools. “Our students, parents, and staff already recognize the quality of our schools’ music education programs, but these awards show that music professionals across the state recognize the excellence of our faculty, as well.”