RPO Names Derse Outstanding Music Educator

Webster CSD is proud to announce that Webster Schroeder High School music teacher Kimberly Derse is the winner of the 2024 Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) Musicians’ Award for Outstanding Music Educator in the category of instrumental music – strings.
 

Kim will be honored at an awards ceremony on May 9 and join RPO Conductor Andreas Delfs on stage at the beginning of the Philharmonic’s concert that evening. (The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.; please visit the RPO website.) Following the concert the RPO musicians will host a reception for family and friends in her honor, along with the 2024 award recipient for the band category. Kim and the other RPO Educator Award recipient will receive further accolades at the RPO Centennial Gala at the Riverside Convention Center on May 18.
 
“I have been so blessed to have a career that has allowed me to work with so many amazing students and colleagues. My 34 years of teaching have been so fulfilling and incredible,” Kim said.
 
Kim has been with Webster CSD since 1994, having previously served schools in Connecticut, and West Genesee and Baldwinsville, NY. She has a legacy of positively impacting generations of students, having taught every level of strings in the district, including working at four elementary schools and Spry Middle School before enjoying a long tenure at Webster Schroeder High School.
 
“Kim never seemed phased by shifting responsibilities; always bringing her nurturing personal attributes, sound teaching practices, and authentic learning experiences to all students,” said Michael Roller, Webster CSD Director of Fine Arts.
 
Roller has worked with Kim since 2005 when he started as a young teacher. “I personally learned so much from her professional example,” he recalled. “Even now, as I serve as director of fine arts for the district, I continue to learn from her and rely on her for the leadership she displays in her day-to-day interactions with students and staff.”
 
Kim has served Webster CSD’s music department in many facets, including several terms as lead teacher for Schroeder, leading professional development, and advising the Tri-M Music Honor Society. At the county and regional levels she has been Monroe County School Music Association president-elect, president, and past president; coordinator for elementary and high school solo festivals and several ensemble honor festivals; and chaired the junior high and senior high Area All-State Festivals for New York State School Music Association Zone 2.
 
Through all of this, Roller said that students are at the center of Kim’s decision-making process. “I feel her musicians always know what their responsibilities are in the ensemble, with clear expectations supported through camaraderie and fun!”
 
“When a student can take what they have learned and place it beyond our walls and into the world, they are more likely to be a life-long musician or supporter of music in all its forms,” he added. “Due to the experiences Kim’s students have participated in, they have a broader connection to why music is not just something you do, it can express who you are and help you find a place to belong.”
 
Outside of school Kim shares her love of music with the Webster Methodist Church as its Handbell Choir director for more than 15 years and has performed with the Women’s Philharmonic Orchestra and numerous pit orchestras for theatrical productions. During her years teaching elementary strings, she also started a Suzuki program for early grades and taught summer lessons.