Welcome!
HC Elementary GT and Enrichment Orchestra Directors
GT Orchestra Directors
Patrick Walls, Program Director for the elementary orchestras and Music Director of the Elementary GT Orchestra.
Maestro Walls enters his 13th year of teaching in Howard County, where he has served as Director of the Elementary Orchestra throughout his tenure. With over 15 years of teaching experience, Mr. Walls has taught at all levels of public school. Mr. Walls was instrumental in developing the string curriculum guide for Howard County and has introduced the guide to other Counties throughout Maryland. Currently, he is Director of Orchestras at Folly Quarter Middle School and Lime Kiln Middle School. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Mr. Walls also mentors first year music teachers in Howard County.
In addition to his responsibilities in Howard County, Mr. Walls has served as President of the Maryland Orchestra Director’s Association and as Manager of the Senior All-State Orchestra for many years. Mr. Walls is currently the Chairperson for the Orchestra Festival List for the State of Maryland. Further, Mr. Walls is highly sought after as adjudicator, guest conductor, and clinician throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.
As a performer, Mr. Walls has performed with Altoona Symphony, Baltimore Opera, Baltimore Philharmonia, Charleston Symphony, Gettysburg Symphony, Huntington Chamber Orchestra, Maryland Symphony, Pittsburgh Opera, Washington Symphony, West Virginia Symphony, Wheeling Symphony, and Youngstown Symphony. Mr. Walls studied under the tutelages of Jane Lower, Charles Stegman, Stephen Hyde, Alexander Meshibovsky, and Nicole Hamill. Also, Mr. Walls has studied advanced techniques in violin pedagogy with Mimi Zweig and Rebecca Henry.
Mr. Walls earned his Masters in Music from West Virginia University. He has furthered his studies at the Moscow Conservatory and Indiana University, and is currently working toward his Doctorate of Musical Arts at Boston University.
Andrea Aldrich, Assistant Director of the Elementary GT Orchestra
Mrs. Aldrich graduated in 2000 from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, with a Bachelor of Music Degree in Viola Performance and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. Mrs. Aldrich graduated in the top of the Music Education Class at Peabody, and upon graduation received the Maryland State Music Teachers Award. She was also president of Peabody’s MENC chapter: the Music Educators National Conference. Currently she is finishing up her Masters Degree in Music Education also from Peabody.
In more recent years, Mrs. Aldrich has taught elementary school band and orchestra, and middle school orchestra, where her orchestras have always received superior ratings and taken first place at festivals. She has served as an adjudicator in Maryland, and as the assistant director of the Howard County Elementary Gifted and Talented Orchestra for the past four years. She also serves on the adjunct faculty at Howard Community College.
In addition to teaching, Mrs. Aldrich performs with several local chamber groups, as well as serving as the assistant principal violist of the Columbia Orchestra. Mrs. Aldrich’s primary teachers have included Carol Briselli and Richard Field. In addition to playing the violin and viola, she also enjoys singing and playing the piano.
Elementary Enrichment Orchestra Directors
Valerie Lawrence, Co-Director of the Elementary Enrichment Orchestra
Mrs. Lawrence has been an Orchestra Director in Howard County for the past 18 years. She has worked at schools all over the county. For the past 12 years she has been the Director of Orchestras at Elkridge Landing Middle School and she also teaches at Elkridge Elementary School. She loves teaching both elementary and middle school strings and enjoys working with all her students. Mrs. Lawrence’s middle school orchestras have been recognized time and time again for outstanding performances at festivals.
The violin is her primary instrument but she also plays piano, accompanying students at the County and State Solo and Ensemble Festivals. Mrs. Lawrence is a former member of the Maryland Symphony under the direction of Barry Tuckwell and has also performed for the Pittsburgh and Baltimore Opera. She is a free lance violinist and perform all over the Baltimore and Washington area. Mrs. Lawrence has performed at Hood College for the past 12 years in Handel’s “Messiah” as well as various operas and concerts.
She studied with Dr. Donald Portnoy and Stephen Hyde at West Virginia University performing in both the West Virginia Symphony and Symphonette. Mrs. Lawrence then continued her education at Duquesne University. Once she moved to Baltimore, she continued her studies with Herbert Greenberg, former Concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony.
Mrs. Lawrence comes from a musical family- her brothers are working musicians in Pittsburgh and her husband Tom is one of the most sought-after guitarists in Baltimore and Washington. They perform together at various events around town. She performs occasionally with her brothers and was featured on their family CD entitled “RML” Jazz. She has two wonderful cats names Jazz and Ella.
Sari O'Bryan
Mrs. Sari O’Bryan is an educator, conductor and violinist originally from Helena, Montana. Mrs. O’Bryan graduated from the College of Music at Loyola University, New Orleans, earning a Bachelor of Music with a concentration in Strings. She is currently finishing her Masters of Music Education from Boston University.
Mrs. O’Bryan is the Director of Orchestras at Centennial Lane Elementary School and Clarksville Elementary School in Howard County. As a string specialist for Baltimore County, Mrs. O’Bryan taught at Sudbrook Magnet Middle School where her string orchestras received consistent superior ratings at county and state festivals. She was also the co-director of the Baltimore County Summer String Camp. Mrs. O’Bryan has been an adjudicator for violin, viola, cello, and bass for the Baltimore County Junior and Senior All-Honors Orchestras as well as for the Maryland Junior All-State Orchestra and Senior All-State Orchestras. She has also served as an adjudicator for multiple Maryland county Solo and Ensemble festivals.
Mrs. O’Bryan began her teaching career as an Artist in Residence in the state of South Carolina. She taught at the Charleston County School for the Arts in Charleston, SC where she was the Director of Middle School Strings. She also served as a clinician for the South Carolina Regional Orchestra, as a violin adjudicator for the South Carolina Junior All-State Orchestra and as the cello section coach for the Charleston Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Mrs. O’Bryan has performed with the Long Bay Symphony Orchestra in Myrtle Beach, SC and in chamber ensembles with members of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with various groups in and around the Baltimore/Washington area including the Columbia Orchestra.
Copyright 2006 Howard County Elementary Enrichment and GT Orchestras