Meet Yamaha Master Educator Cheryl Floyd
Cheryl Floyd is at home presenting on any instrumental music topic. But as the retired Director of Bands at Hill Country Middle School in Austin, Texas, she shines especially bright in the realm of “all things middle school.”
At this incredibly challenging, yet significantly crucial, time in the lives of young music students, she consistently brings a fine-tuned balance of high expectation, passion and an extra helping of heart to each of her rehearsals.
What young students always seem to take away from Floyd’s teaching is her passion for developing their musicianship and skills by scouring repertoire to find the perfect piece to accomplish this superior goal. She is highly dedicated to discovering and commissioning exceptional repertoire, which she speaks to in her session titled “Commissioning Music for Young Band.”
As an educator and presenter, Floyd shares her lifetime of music making and teaching with fellow educators by challenging them to introduce their students to excellent music and to teach with lots of energy and passion — something she does as a dynamic, in-demand guest clinician and conductor through her session “Rehearsal Strategies for the Young and the Restless.” Floyd is also a champion of unique teaching methods and learning pathways, such as the Suzuki Method. Understanding that students, especially middle school students, learn fastest when they are happy, Floyd provides a learning environment for students that is fun, high energy, musically focused and inspirational; wisdom she imparts upon other educators so they can inspire the students in their programs.
Viewed and respected as a highly-effective conductor, directors across the United States repeatedly call upon Floyd to work with their students and fine-tune their ensembles.
Some of Cheryl Floyd’s session titles are:
- Tuneful Teaching from the Start
- The Magic of Having a Mentor
- Picking Pieces for Picky People
- Rehearsal Strategies for the Young and the Restless
- Best Beginnings for Beginners
- Commissioning Music for Young Band
To learn more about clinics by Cheryl Floyd, please contact Jalissa Gascho at jgascho@yamaha.com.