©2025 Ohio Music Education Association
Allied Organizations
Ohio String Teachers Association Update
Ohio String Teachers Association Update
David Pope, OSTA President
As I finish my tenth year of teaching in Ohio, I am humbled to begin my term as the OSTA President (as of January 2025). Knowing the positive impact the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) had on my life and career, I take the responsibility of supporting all string teachers and students in Ohio while advancing string education with profound humility. I am honored to serve in this position and lead a wonderful OSTA Board of Directors that includes Erin Broadhurst, BettyAnne Gottlieb, Mathew Kinnear, Chris Lape, Heather Lofdahl, Abby Miles, Felipe Morales-Torres, Kathleen Schnerer, Allison Siekmann, and Gretchen Wyder Zunic. I also want to thank our recent board members (Lisa Goldman, James Ledbetter, and Juliet White-Smith) who stepped off the board for their service to OSTA and music education in Ohio. Lastly, I want to recognize Gretchen Wyder Zunic (former President) and James Ledbetter (former Secretary) for their countless hours of service on the OSTA Executive Board. I am hopeful you help me thank them for their service.
Many OSTA members attended the 2025 ASTA National Conference in Atlanta. This was an inspiring conference with over 200 string sessions and masterclasses. However, I want to recognize the numerous OSTA members who presented sessions or served as an adjudicator at the National Orchestra Festival. Those include Elaine Colprit, Robert Gillespie, BettyAnne Gottlieb, Kathleen Horvath, Heather Lofdahl, Felipe Morales-Torres, Alice Ann O’Neill, David Pope, Elizabeth Reed, Philip Rudd, and Mark Rudoff. There sessions were well attended, and their contributions at the national level is a testament to the strength of string teaching in Ohio.
I hope you join us for the fourth annual OSTA Fall Workshop on Saturday, November 8th at Upper Arlington High School in Columbus. We started this event in 2022 and have hosted approximately 300 attendees over the last few years. Thanks to generous donors, attendees have left with over $30,000 in prizes during our free lunchtime raffle. We are currently planning the 2025 workshop and look forward to sharing details in the coming months. I know it will be an inspiring event!
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I also want to encourage OSTA members to apply for an OSTA Mini-Grant. These grants, up to $300, are designed to support projects that enrich string education in Ohio. We awarded three OSTA Mini-Grants in March 2025, and our next grant cycle ends on September 15th. To apply, please visit https://www.ohiostringteachers.org.
In closing, I encourage you to join OSTA if you are not currently a member. Our string community only thrives when we support each other and work together. Each of you have unique experiences and skills, I am hopeful you will take a moment to share those as part of the OSTA family. Please reach out to any current board member to share how OSTA can better support you, your program, and your students. I look forward to seeing you at the 2025 OSTA Fall Workshop and the 2026 OMEA PDC!
David Pope serves as an Associate Professor of Music Education at Baldwin Wallace University and the current President of the Ohio String Teachers Association. He has presented string pedagogy clinics and his research at the European String Teachers Congress, the ASTA National Conference, The Midwest Clinic, and numerous regional/state conferences. He is the current Editor for the String Research Journal and recently served as a co-editor for Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra (Vol. 4) and as a co-author for Sound Orchestra.