Mr. William R. Wassum

Violin, Viola Teacher

William Wassum

SAA Member

Contact

Spotsylvania, VA
540-809-5114
[javascript protected email address]

William Wassum is a native of Huntington, West Virginia, where he received his BA in music education and his MA in violin performance from Marshall University. His major teachers at Marshall were Alfred P. Lanegger, Patricia Green, Lucie Furlie, and Dr. Reed Smith. He is currently a doctoral student in music education at Liberty University.

During his 46 years as a music educator, he has directed award-winning ensembles from the elementary through high school levels in Texas, West Virginia, South Carolina, and Virginia. Mr. Wassum is a retired Director of Orchestras at Thornburg Middle School in Spotsylvania County, Virginia where he helped to start the Orchestra Program 24 years ago. He is currently Director of Orchestras at Fredericksburg Christian School in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In Virginia he has guest conducted the Central Regional Orchestra, the Chesterfield All-County Orchestra, the Hanover All-County Orchestra and in Maryland, the Southern Tri-County Honors Orchestra.

He is a member of the American String Teachers Association, the Suzuki Association of the Americas, the Colourstrings Society, The Paul Rolland Pedagogy Society, the Viola Society of America, the National Music Teachers Association and the National Association for Music Education.

He was previously President for the state of West Virginia String Teachers Association and chaired the North Central Virginia Regional Orchestra Audition Prep Day in a five county school system area of Virginia for a number of years.

William Wassum has been an orchestra conductor, violin and viola instructor, and chamber music coach for the Sam Houston State University String Camp (2 summers) in Huntsville, Texas, and the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (12 summers) in Twin Lake, Michigan. He has served on the faculty of the Rappahannock Summer Music Camp in Fredericksburg for ten (10) summers.

As a Suzuki violin and viola instructor Mr. Wassum taught Suzuki Violin for the Marshall University Preparatory Department (9 years) and the Converse College Pre-College Department (3 years). and is currently the adjunct instructor of violin and viola and Director of the String Ensemble at the University of Mary Washington. Mr. Wassum continues to teach violin and viola lessons in the Fredericksburg community through the Wassum String Academy at New Life in Christ Church. He has experience and training, not only in Suzuki, but also in Colourstrings, having studied in Great Britain, Australia, and Finland. Mr Wassum is also a registered Rolland teacher, pedagogue, presenter, and mentor for the Rolland Pedagogy Society.