Education profiles MO

Steven Murray

Education Manager
Kansas City Symphony
Kansas City, Missouri
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Years in current position: 1
Years in the field: 3

Majors:
Music Education, Communication Arts (Electronic Media)

Career Path:
Elementary/Middle School Instrumental Music Teacher
Director of Education/Symphony School, Cedar Rapids Symphony

What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
The most challenging aspect in my opinion is determining what are the most important efforts to tend to and how to serve the masses on a broad scale.

What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work for the orchestra I grew up listening to, not to mention serve as the director of the school where I took violin lessons as a youth. The opportunity to give back to the organization and field that has given me so much is my inspiration.

Would you do anything differently?
I would have remained in the classroom as a teacher longer than I did. However, opportunities sometimes only come once, and I jumped at the chance.

What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
Start small, but don’t be afraid to have large aspirations and dreams. Relationships are so very important and something not taught in the classroom. Good relationships between colleagues, community partners and the like make the world go ’round.

Any other advice?
Be flexible, not rigid; try not to become easily discouraged. There are many challenges, some of which are incorrigible. However, there is always room to make that which is good into something better.