It’s time to vote for the MASTA Teacher of the Year. In 2014, our organization began alternating this award between studio teachers and classroom teachers each year, and this is the year to award a classroom teacher. Voting will end on Friday, January 3, 2025. Please read about each candidate below, and then cast your vote by following this link:
2025 Teacher of the Year Candidates
MARY BALDWIN
Orchestra Teacher, Bloomfield Hills Schools
Mary Baldwin began her violin instruction at the age of 5 in Grand Rapids, MI, in the Suzuki program run by the Grand Rapids Public Schools. Serving as a violin instructor, cabin counselor, camper and parent, she has been involved with Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Suzuki Family Camp almost continuously in some capacity since those early days. She graduated in 2001 from Michigan State University with a Bachelors of Music Education Degree, and from Eastern Michigan University in 2009 with a Masters of Music in Violin Performance. She has performed as a section violinist with West Shore, Midland, Rochester, Macomb, Oakland and Warren Symphonies, as well as with numerous churches and community organizations. She enjoys serving as a guest clinician for local area string programs such as Brighton, Walled Lake, Farmington, and Troy. She currently teaches 5th through 8th grade orchestra at Conant Elementary, Lone Pine Elementary and South Hills Middle School in the Bloomfield Hills School District where she has been employed since 2001. Students in her program have consistently participated in MSBOA Solo and Ensemble Festival in high numbers. Her ensembles have received high ratings at MSBOA Band and Orchestra Festival as well. Under her direction, students have taken advantage of additional opportunities such as the DSO Middle School Honor Days, and a heavily attended weekly Honors Orchestra Club comprised of 6th-8th graders. A number of her students have also been selected to participate in the MSBOA Middle School All-State Orchestra for violin, viola and bass. She currently lives in Milford, MI with her two daughters who all enjoy making music together.
Nominator’s Statement of Support:
“Mary Baldwin is a master of her craft. She has taught elementary and middle school orchestra in Bloomfield Hills Public Schools for many years. The classroom environment she creates fosters a love of learning and high achievement while also being fun and engaging. Mary’s genuine care for her students is clearly evident in every interaction. Teachers who “talk shop” with her appreciate her clear vision of what needs to be done to set students up for success. She has a special gift for balancing high standards with a style and personality that draws people in and helps motivate them to succeed. Mary is a Suzuki teacher who has spent many years teaching at the Blue Lake Suzuki Family Camp. Her impact is spread even further through regular clinic work as she helps other teachers prepare their students for orchestra festivals and solo and ensemble festival. She approaches teaching technique and repertoire with a huge toolbox, always searching to find what works for each student.”
AMY MARR
Orchestra Teacher, Tecumseh Public Schools
Amy Marr has directed the Tecumseh Schools Orchestra Program in Tecumseh, Michigan, since 2004, where she currently teaches 5th-8th grade orchestras and served as the Tecumseh Middle School Electives Department Chair for 4 years. She has led students in performances at the National ASTA Conference, Michigan Music Conference, and Saline Celtic Festival, as well as with over 20 nationally-recognized and internationally-renowned artists, including Barrage, Randy Sabien, Natalie MacMaster, Kiana June Weber, Jeremy Kittel, Brad Phillips, Christian Howes, and Mark Wood. A passionate advocate for the inclusion of eclectic strings music at all levels, Amy inspires her students to become better people through building a community that celebrates students’ uniquenesses while fostering their love of making music together.
An active clinician at both the state and national levels, Amy has worked with orchestras throughout Michigan and has regularly presented on recruiting, motivation, music selection, and alternative-styles music at the Michigan Music Conference and ASTA National Conference since 2006. She co-founded and runs the MMC MASTA Jam Sessions and will be conducting the Grade 1-2 New Music Reading Session at the 2025 ASTA National Conference as well.
Since she was 16, ASTA has been an integral part of Amy’s life and teaching career, as it provides connections with colleagues, countless resources and opportunities for teachers and students alike, and an incredible support system for its diverse membership. Currently, Amy is the MASTA President and a member of the MMC Executive Board. Her previous National ASTA leadership roles include the ASTA National Conference Chair and Vice-Chair, Chair of the Eclectic Strings Committee and Eclectic Strings Festival, and member of the Editorial Committee of American String Teacher and K-12 Committee. Additionally, Amy taught at the MASTA String Camps for 11 years, including 5 years as Assistant Director; she also founded the MSBOA Alternative Styles Day in 2010 and ran this event through 2013. Amy was the 2013 MSBOA Orchestra Teacher of the Year, and in 2021 and 2025, Amy was a finalist for the MASTA Teacher of the Year.
A graduate of Eastern Michigan University, where she led the EMU ASTA Student Chapter to receive the first-ever Student Chapter of the Year Award, she plays viola in the Adrian Symphony Orchestra and performs all styles of music on the violin. Originally from Saline, she currently resides in Britton with her husband, Bryan; children, Aiden and Allison (both of whom are violinists); and two cats.
Nominator’s Statement of Support:
“If you are looking for an example of service to the profession of string teaching in the state of Michigan, you could not do better than Amy Marr. Amy is the Director Of Orchestras for Tecumseh Public Schools where she has taught 5th through 12th grades. Mrs. Marr makes being in her classroom a place that is fun and everyone belongs. The casual observer might see their willingness to wear silly costumes to celebrate every day on the calendar (such as talk like a pirate day; Yarr! Mateys), but when you watch Amy with their students you see an educator working to make everyday in class an event. Amy celebrates diversity in music, working hard to program a variety of music to celebrate the community of the students in the classroom while bringing music from the world to the class. Every year, the Tecumseh Orchestras host a world class performer(s) from the fiddle world for side by side concerts giving students and parents the chance to see new possibilities in a lifetime of music making. Additionally, Amy models a lifetime of making music by performing in her community as a professional violinist and violist. It would take another thousand words to accurately describe Amy Marr’s impact on Michigan ASTA but here are just a few highlights to demonstrate her willingness to serve as an ambassador of string teaching in the State of Michigan; Amy is the current president of MASTA, has served as the National Alternative Styles Chair for ASTA, has worked multiple jobs for the MASTA String Camps over the past 24 years, frequently presents crowd favorite professional development sessions at National and State Conferences such as the MMC, presided over the EMU Student ASTA Chapter when it received the National Student Chapter Award, and has served as a friend and mentor to countless colleagues across the state. I have personally known Amy Marr since 1999 and I can genuinely say she has made the profession better than she found it and continues to work hard for her students and the wonderful world of string teaching in Michigan.”
WENDY STUART
Orchestra Teacher, Troy School District
Wendy Stuart is the Orchestra Director at Troy High School. Before starting to teach in Troy in fall of 2021, she taught for twenty-one years in the Clarkston Community Schools, where she developed the Orchestra program from its third year of existence to the current program with three high school orchestras and multiple middle school/junior high orchestras. Under her direction, the Clarkston Orchestra program was featured at the Michigan Music Conference, traveled extensively, and performed at consistently high levels at MSBOA Festivals. Prior to joining the music faculty in Clarkston and Troy, she spent a year beginning a new string program in a district east of Cincinnati, OH.
Wendy Stuart is the conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra, one of the four ensembles that comprise the Oakland Youth Orchestras.
Wendy is an advocate for music education in Michigan. In addition to her school program and youth orchestra, she works with many levels of Orchestras as a clinician. She enjoys giving presentations at conferences for music educators and mentoring student teachers. She is an adjudicator for MSBOA Solo and Ensemble festivals, where she can use her experience gained from more than twenty years as a cello teacher.
She has taught at many summer music camps, including serving as music director for two summers at MASTA String Camp,Session III, conducting at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, the Troy Sound Power Camp, and many times in the past as Cello Coach for MASTA Camp, Session III.
Wendy was the Director of the MASTA String Camp, Session III and served as Secretary for MASTA for six years in the early-mid 2000’s. She also served one year as Outreach Chair. She has been a member of ASTA since the early 1990’s and is and always will be an advocate for membership.
Wendy earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in Cello Performance from Eastern Michigan University and her teaching certification and Masters of Music in Music Education from the University of Michigan. In addition to her degrees, she studied orchestral conducting while attending the ASTA International Workshops in Norway and France.
Wendy Stuart is committed to continuing her own ability, growth and experience as a musician and regularly brings new ideas from her own performing to student orchestras. She is the principal cellist for the Oakland Symphony Orchestra, the assistant principal cellist for the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, and performs with other orchestras and ensembles throughout the year.
Nominator’s Statement of Support:
Wendy Stuart is a dedicated and passionate string teacher who previously taught in Clarkston, Michigan, for many years, where she not only helped expand the string program but also fostered a strong, vibrant sense of community among her students and their families. Through her leadership, the program grew to be a cornerstone of musical education in the area, emphasizing both technical skill and personal connection. Wendy’s commitment to excellence and her ability to build lasting relationships have left an indelible mark on the students she has taught. In addition to her work in Clarkston, Wendy has also been a key conductor with the Oakland Youth Orchestras, where she has shaped and inspired the next generation of young musicians. Her role in guiding these talented young players has further strengthened her reputation as an outstanding educator and mentor in the broader Michigan music community. Wendy continues to carry forward this tradition of fostering talent, collaboration, and a deep love for music as the orchestra director at Troy High School. Her work in Troy, combined with her legacy of success with Oakland Youth Orchestras, and Clarkston Schools ensures that her passion for music and community building continues to thrive in all the students she inspires.