Homer OPUS has chosen Elizabeth White to serve as both its lead teacher and organizational head, going into the new school year. The nonprofit organization supports around 250 southern Kenai Peninsula youth each year in learning to play the violin and other stringed instruments.
According to a Monday press release, White fell in love with strings when she started playing violin and viola in the fifth grade school orchestra. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in viola performance from the University of Memphis. White said she’s passionate about music education and has extensive experience guiding students of all ages to “success and joy with music.”
She said she and her husband are excited to join the Homer community, and that after being in the area for only a month, they can “already tell that Homer and Anchor Point love their youth musicians.”
White will begin teaching in area schools, including Paul Banks Elementary, Fireweed Academy, and Chapman School, in the coming weeks, and is already taking charge of the Homer Youth String Orchestra Club.
Homer OPUS provides free violin instruction to kindergarten through second grade students at schools in Homer and Anchor Point and offers after-school string ensemble experience to students in third grade through high school, as well as to adults. The organization’s goals are to build community through music and provide youth with “a sense of agency and belonging by providing opportunities for them to be part of something larger than themselves.”
You can find more information on Homer OPUS by visiting homeropus.org.
