Mr. Samuel Gelfer
Farmingdale is proud to announce that Howitt Middle School 8th grade orchestra teacher Mr. Samuel Gelfer was selected to attend this year's National Conference for the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) held in Atlanta, Georgia on March 17th through March 19th. ASTA is a national organization that provides professional development, career building, support, and a community of peers for all teachers of stringed instruments. Mr. Gelfer was part of Carl Fischer Music's “Meet Our Composers Booth,” where he spent time answering questions and connecting with other teachers and composers. He also attended workshops on building a Mariachi program in your school and how to advocate for underrepresented groups in music. An original composition by Mr. Gelfer for string orchestra was performed in a reading session aimed at exposing teachers from all over the country to new and exciting literature for their school ensembles.
“I feel humbled and inspired after a whirlwind of a weekend,” said orchestra teacher Mr. Samuel Gelfer. “It was an honor to represent New York and Farmingdale at the conference, and I look forward to sharing all that I learned with my colleagues and students.”