Duane Foster, a music instructor at Normandy High School, has been selected to receive the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award and will represent Missouri at the 2011 Symposium on Music in Schools to be held June 9-12 in New Haven, CT. As part of the award, Foster’s expenses to the conference are being paid by the Yale School of Music through the Yale College Class of 1957 Endowment.
“The award is definitely an honor. I am looking forward to attending the symposium and meeting with colleagues from throughout the country to share and learn new methods of enhancing the value of music education in our classrooms,” said Foster.
The symposium honors teachers for their outstanding accomplishments teaching music in public schools. For three days, the distinguished music educators will participate in a variety of skill-building workshops, discussions and other events culminating with the presentation of the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Awards at the closing banquet. Foster is one of 50 selected from a field of 330 music educators to attend the symposium and receive the award. He is among three of those selected to be nominated by members of the Yale College Class of 1957, which gave its 50th reunion class gift to the School of Music to improve the quality of public education in America.
Along with serving as the vocal music instructor at the high school, Foster serves as director of the Normandy Chorale and Swing Choir and is the founder and director of the Normandy Dance Academy. He is an accomplished singer, musician, actor and dancer having trained at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and is a Broadway performer. Locally, Foster has performed with the St. Louis Muny, the In Unison Choir and spent five seasons as a member/soloist with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Foster is a Normandy High School alumnus and has been an instructor in the district for five years.
