Ruth Pitts is Teacher of the Year.Ruth Pitts, NCTM, was honored as MTNA Teacher of the Year at the National Conference in Seattle. Pitts established her own private studio in 1962, teaching piano, voice and music theory to students of all levels, and is a music instructor at McLennan Community College McLennan Community College (MCC) is a community college partially funded by the taxpayers of McLennan County, Texas. Located in Waco, Texas, it opened in 1965. It now serves about 8,500 students and has over 600 employees. in Waco, Texas. Previously, Pitts was a lecturer at Baylor University and taught at Arapaho Elementary School. She also was an instructor at Dallas Baptist University Dallas Baptist University (DBU), formerly known as Dallas Baptist College, is a Christian liberal arts university located in Dallas, Texas, USA. History DBU began as Decatur Baptist College in Decatur, Texas, in 1898. , Houston Baptist University Houston Baptist University (commonly abbreviated HBU) is a private Baptist institution founded in 1960. It is located in the southwest part of Houston, Texas near the Southwest Freeway. and Free Will Baptist Bible College Free Will Baptist Bible College is a private four-year college in Nashville, Tennessee affiliated with the National Association of Free Will Baptists. All students are involved in some type of Christian service outside the classroom, such as conducting services at jails and . She received a bachelor of music degree in education from Baylor University, graduating cum laude, and received both a master's degree in musicology musicology, systematized study of music and musical style, particularly in the realm of historical research. The scholarly study of music of different historical periods was not practiced until the 18th cent., and few published efforts were rigorously researched. and a doctor's degree in humanities from George Peabody College for Teachers. Among her honors, Pitts was named Teacher of the Year by Texas Music Teachers Association, nominated for Outstanding Women of Texas and received the Good Soldier and Spirit of America Spirit of America is the trademarked name used by Craig Breedlove for his land speed record-setting vehicles. The Spirit of America was the first of the modern record breaking cars, build within new rules with its three wheel design, narrow stream-lined Awards. Pitts is listed in the International Who's Who in Music The International Who's Who in Music is a publication of the International Biographical Centre located in Cambridge, England, containing a listing of those whose achievements in music were considered worthy of note at the time of publication. . Pitts serves as president of MTNA's South Central Division and is a member of the MTNA FOUNDATION FUND Development Committee. She has held all offices for Waco Music Teachers Association and served in various leadership roles for Texas Music Teachers Association, including president, vice president for business affairs and vice president for student affairs. "Ruth Pitts is an exceptional human being as well as being an extraordinary teacher and educator," says MTNA President Phyllis I. Pieffer, NCTM. "She inspires students, as well as friends and colleagues, to achieve goals that they think are impossible. Ruth is an inspiration to all of us." In addition to her MTNA involvement, Pitts is a member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, American Musicology Society and the National Association of Teachers of Singing The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) was founded in 1944 and is now the largest association of teachers of singing in the world. Today NATS boasts more than 6,500 members in the United States, Canada, and over twenty-five other countries around the world, including . She also serves as an adjudicator for numerous music competitions in Waco and around Texas. Ruth Edwards, NCTM, a member of the Teacher of the Year Selection Committee, says, "I believe she is an exemplary combination of one who teaches at the college level and has maintained an independent studio (as many of us did/do) and doing a fine job of that teaching. She also ... is quite a remarkable woman." Rebecca G. Johnson, NCTM, director of the key board pedagogy program at Capital University and chair of the Teacher of the Year Selection Committee, said, "... She had glowing references from her students reflecting many years of highly successful teaching despite some physical disabilities.... We chose her because she excelled in teaching and in service to the organization." |
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