Robert Nichols, Orchestra teacher
This year I will be stating my 35th year of teaching orchestra to Arizona students. I recently retired from full time teaching. During that time I was the Director of Orchestras at Mesa High (19 yrs) and then at Dobson High (16 yrs) in Mesa Public Schools. In addition to orchestra I taught marching band, concert band, choir, guitar, and music theory. I hold a Bachelor of Music Education (BME) degree from Northern Arizona University (NAU) and a Master of Music (MM) in Cello Performance from Arizona State University (ASU).
I have served in leadership positions for the Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association (ABODA) for most of my tenure, and in 2011-13 served as President of the Arizona Music Educators Association (AMEA). I have received the AMEA George C. Wilson Leadership Award, the “Distinguished Professional and Community Service Award” from the NAU Alumni Association and NAU School of Performing Arts, the AMEA O.M. Hartzel Award for Excellence in Teaching Music; and in 2015 I was honored to be named the AMEA “Music Educator of the Year”.
I have served as guest clinician and conductor for district, music camp, and other various honor orchestras throughout Arizona and have conducted more than 16 different AMEA region honor orchestras. My wife Jennifer and I were administrators of the NAU Pat B Curry Summer Music Camp from 1994 – 2005.
I am a professional cellist and have performed with the Mesa Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony, Ventura County Symphony, Tempe Symphony, Sun City Symphony, and the Scottsdale Philharmonic. In 2014 I became the Conductor of the Scottsdale Philharmonic.
My hobbies include fishing, camping, woodworking, bird watching, spending time with my wife, and binge watching Netflix. I have four children ages 29, 27, 17, and 14 and they all play a stringed instrument.
This year I will be stating my 35th year of teaching orchestra to Arizona students. I recently retired from full time teaching. During that time I was the Director of Orchestras at Mesa High (19 yrs) and then at Dobson High (16 yrs) in Mesa Public Schools. In addition to orchestra I taught marching band, concert band, choir, guitar, and music theory. I hold a Bachelor of Music Education (BME) degree from Northern Arizona University (NAU) and a Master of Music (MM) in Cello Performance from Arizona State University (ASU).
I have served in leadership positions for the Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association (ABODA) for most of my tenure, and in 2011-13 served as President of the Arizona Music Educators Association (AMEA). I have received the AMEA George C. Wilson Leadership Award, the “Distinguished Professional and Community Service Award” from the NAU Alumni Association and NAU School of Performing Arts, the AMEA O.M. Hartzel Award for Excellence in Teaching Music; and in 2015 I was honored to be named the AMEA “Music Educator of the Year”.
I have served as guest clinician and conductor for district, music camp, and other various honor orchestras throughout Arizona and have conducted more than 16 different AMEA region honor orchestras. My wife Jennifer and I were administrators of the NAU Pat B Curry Summer Music Camp from 1994 – 2005.
I am a professional cellist and have performed with the Mesa Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony, Ventura County Symphony, Tempe Symphony, Sun City Symphony, and the Scottsdale Philharmonic. In 2014 I became the Conductor of the Scottsdale Philharmonic.
My hobbies include fishing, camping, woodworking, bird watching, spending time with my wife, and binge watching Netflix. I have four children ages 29, 27, 17, and 14 and they all play a stringed instrument.