String Workshop

2024 VCM String Director Workshop – String Schedule

Housing Information

Guest Lecturers:

Dr. Shu-Yi Scott

Shu-Yi Scott, originally from Taipei, Taiwan, has given master classes, seminars and performances in the States, Taipei, Shanghai, Mexico, and Europe.

Dr. Scott holds a MM in cello performance from Penn State under Dr. Kim Cook and DMA in cello performance from the University of Texas at Austin under renowned pedagogue Ms. Phyllis Young.

Dr. Shu-Yi Scott was awarded the Certificate of Achievement through the Suzuki Association of the Americas in 2015 and Suzuki cello teacher trainer in 2019.

Active on Instagram, Shu-Yi shares teaching tips and highlights from her weekly studio happenings. A typical week consists of teaching 20+ kids of all ages 3-18, and holding weekly mixed-level group classes, giving some pedagogy seminars or Suzuki book training courses in person or online.

Teaching beginning students from the age of 3 to advanced high school cellists, her expertise and patience helps students from all musical backgrounds excel.  She uses her pedagogy  knowledge to creatively target the needs of her students, keeping them motivated and growing.  Her private lessons, multi-level group class offerings, and parent education nights help to foster a community of lifelong musicians.

Besides teaching her students, Dr. Scott is an active teacher trainer and coach. She has given workshops for teachers and parents on topics such as how to grow a healthy relationship for home practice(“amysical Parenting”) and multi-level group lesson teaching(“MLG Strategies”), public school programs and professional development types of programs. During the pandemic, she and Dr. Merlin Thompson, a long term Suzuki piano teacher trainer based in Canada, co-created a series of video podcasts to support music teachers called: Shu-Yi & Merlin- Let’s Talk about Music Teaching- Conversations that Inform & Inspire.

Shu-Yi is also an active learner.  She has done programs from marketing courses to Dalcroze certification(Level II).

Her hobbies include gardening, sourdough baking, learning Japanese and French, and world travel. She lives in Austin, Texas with her bass player husband and two daughters, both studied Suzuki cello method.

Dión Morales

Dión (pronounced: dee-oan) Morales was born, raised, and lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and two daughters. He began his orchestral studies as a high school student at Lane Tech College Prep High School in the Chicago Public School system. He received his undergraduate degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music in 2010 and returned to VanderCook for his Masters degree, which was completed in 2021. He has taught elementary and middle school orchestra in Des Plaines District 62 since 2010. The arranging of music by minority composers for school orchestra programs is a project that he has been developing since 2020. Music from this project has been performed at the Midwest Band and Orchestra clinic and has won multiple awards.

Alongside his arrangements, Dion is also passionate about writing original works for student ensembles at all levels. As an educator and composer he has used his experience in the classroom to create pieces that students enjoy as well as providing appropriate challenges for the ensembles he is writing for.

Dión is married to Devon Morales. She is the department chair and head orchestra director at Lane Tech, as well as a fellow composer and arranger.

Dana Green:

Dana Green is a violinist, educator and conductor. With the support of his parents, Dana began studying the violin when he was five years old with Steve Bjella. In the course of his education
as a musician, Dana went on to study with Brian Groner, Laura Miller, Hilel Kagan and Theresa Fream. Dana graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from DePaul University in 2004
and went on to earn his Masters in Music with a specialization in Music Education from Northern Illinois University and more recently studied rehearsal techniques at Indiana University under the tutelage of Dr. Cliff Colnot. Since graduating, he has logged thousands of hours on the podiums of Vernon Hills High School, Naperville North High School, Mill Street and Naper
Elementary Schools, the West Suburban Youth Orchestra and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra.

At Naperville North, Mr. Green grew the program from 46 to 154 students while simultaneously tripling the orchestras at both Naper and Mill Street Elementary Schools. Mr. Green created three
extra-curricular ensembles at the high school involving over 130 string players. Dana has led ensembles to place first in national music competitions in Seattle, San Francisco, Boston and New York. Orchestras under Mr. Green’s baton from both Naperville and Vernon Hills have been selected as featured performers at the Illinois Music Educators Conference.
For 10 years, Mr. Green served as one of the directors of the West Suburban Youth Orchestra. While in that role, he worked with students in grades 4 through 11 on symphonic literature. Mr.
Green continues to serve as a chamber coach for the OPUS Chamber Music Program, where he works with student ensembles on string quartet performance practice.

Dana is a highly sought-after music educator and serves regularly as contest adjudicator and festival guest conductor. His energetic and inspiring style have served to engage students and
communities throughout the Midwest. Mr. Green is currently the Director of Orchestras at Vernon Hills High School and director of the Chicago Youth Symphony’s Debut Orchestra where he continues to spread the joy of music.

Kevin Snyder:

Kevin Snyder is a bassist and is the current orchestra director at Bryan Middle School in Elmhurst, IL. He received his bachelors in music education from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign where he studied bass with Michael Cameron, and recently completed a masters in music education from VanderCook College of Music. In his free time he enjoys performing in the bass section of various community orchestras, getting out to Cubs games, traveling to national parks, and skiing.