Rachel L. Dirks, Director of Orchestral Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at Kansas State University, is an active conductor, clinician, and educator. Dr. Dirks holds cello performance degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Bethel College, and a Ph.D. in music education from the University of Kansas. As a guest conductor, Dr. Dirks has been invited to conduct orchestras throughout the United States, including recent appearances in New York, Nevada, Kentucky, Oregon, Illinois, and Kansas. As a featured clinician, she has been invited to present conference sessions for the American String Teachers Association, the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, the National Association for Music Education, and the state music education conferences of Texas, Oregon, Colorado, and Kansas. She is currently serving on the National ASTA Health and Wellness committee where she works to further the discussion surrounding mental health and wellbeing in the music classroom. Throughout all of her work, her fundamental goal is to encourage musicians to seek and create community through music.