Middle Level Orchestra Clinician
2023-24
Alison Mayes
Alison Mayes discovered her passion for string teaching through an internship program that she co-founded with her high school orchestra director and mentor in Grand Junction, Colorado. She earned her BME (2006) and MME (2016) from the University of Colorado (Boulder), and taught in Colorado schools from 2007-2021. After relocating to eastern Kansas, she now teaches Strings in Blue Valley School District at Timber Creek Elementary, Aubry Bend Middle School, and Blue Valley Southwest High School.
Priding herself on serving the music teaching profession, Alison has been a leader at local, state, and national levels. She was recently named Assistant Chair of the KMEA All-State Full Orchestra, and she is also on the Board for the Kansas Chapter of the American String Teachers Association; having also served in both of these roles previously, in Colorado. Alison received the 2015 Outstanding String Teacher Award from Colorado ASTA, and was the 2020 recipient of the Elizabeth A.H. Green School Educator Award from National ASTA.
Alison has held Music Director positions with the Longmont Youth Symphony and the Northern Colorado Youth Symphony; and is a frequent guest clinician, adjudicator, and conductor for honor ensembles and performance festivals. Alison has been on the teaching faculty of summer programs in Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, and Kansas. She has been on staff with Camp Con Brio, String Camp of the Rockies, since 2001; and became Director in 2015. This camp will celebrate its 30th anniversary in July 2024, which will be a monumental celebration of a beautiful legacy of high-quality summer camp string teaching in Colorado.
Alison is known for growing and nurturing string programs, having as much as tripled the enrollment during her tenure. She prides herself on building positive relationships with students and fostering a classroom culture of mutual respect and inclusivity. The Aubry Bend Eighth Grade Orchestra performed at the Kansas Music Educators Association annual conference in February 2023. Additionally, the Blue Valley Southwest Orchestra was invited to perform as part of ASTA's National Orchestra Festival in March 2024. This is Alison’s second ensemble to receive this honor.
As a performer, Alison’s most memorable opportunities include being a member of the Ghost Orchestra in 2016, alongside violinist Tom Hagerman of Devotchka, at the world-renowned Red Rocks Amphitheater for the Grammy-nominated South African-American singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov. Additionally, she performed in New York City under the direction of Marin Alsop at Times Square, during the 2017 Carnegie Hall Music Educators Summer Workshop.
Priding herself on serving the music teaching profession, Alison has been a leader at local, state, and national levels. She was recently named Assistant Chair of the KMEA All-State Full Orchestra, and she is also on the Board for the Kansas Chapter of the American String Teachers Association; having also served in both of these roles previously, in Colorado. Alison received the 2015 Outstanding String Teacher Award from Colorado ASTA, and was the 2020 recipient of the Elizabeth A.H. Green School Educator Award from National ASTA.
Alison has held Music Director positions with the Longmont Youth Symphony and the Northern Colorado Youth Symphony; and is a frequent guest clinician, adjudicator, and conductor for honor ensembles and performance festivals. Alison has been on the teaching faculty of summer programs in Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, and Kansas. She has been on staff with Camp Con Brio, String Camp of the Rockies, since 2001; and became Director in 2015. This camp will celebrate its 30th anniversary in July 2024, which will be a monumental celebration of a beautiful legacy of high-quality summer camp string teaching in Colorado.
Alison is known for growing and nurturing string programs, having as much as tripled the enrollment during her tenure. She prides herself on building positive relationships with students and fostering a classroom culture of mutual respect and inclusivity. The Aubry Bend Eighth Grade Orchestra performed at the Kansas Music Educators Association annual conference in February 2023. Additionally, the Blue Valley Southwest Orchestra was invited to perform as part of ASTA's National Orchestra Festival in March 2024. This is Alison’s second ensemble to receive this honor.
As a performer, Alison’s most memorable opportunities include being a member of the Ghost Orchestra in 2016, alongside violinist Tom Hagerman of Devotchka, at the world-renowned Red Rocks Amphitheater for the Grammy-nominated South African-American singer-songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov. Additionally, she performed in New York City under the direction of Marin Alsop at Times Square, during the 2017 Carnegie Hall Music Educators Summer Workshop.