This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: Winifred Crock devotes herself to music in every aspect of her life, and with every rehearsal or private lesson, enriches the lives of her students. The Parkway Central High School Orchestra Director will be named the St. Louis Symphony’s 2013 Educator of the Year later this week and, as a strong supporter of the symphony, is thrilled.
Music has always run through her veins. An Edwardsville native and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville graduate, Crock was given many opportunities to excel in her instrument. She started her adolescent violin years in the SIUE String Preparatory program, one of the first Suzuki programs in the country. Crock says, “I’m very fortunate to have had that opportunity as a young child,” said Crock.
“Listen, learn and play” is how Crock summarized the Suzuki method. Developed by Shinichi Suzuki, the program uses the basic principles of parent responsibility, loving encouragement, constant repetition and listening according to the Suzuki Association. The central belief is that all children can learn from their environment.
Crock studied Suzuki in Japan and has a very deep background in the method: With the help of two colleagues, William Dick and Dr. Laurie Scott, she wrote Learning Together: Sequential Repertoire for Solo Strings or String Ensembles, a book that helped bring the Suzuki method to the classroom. She said, “There were not materials for use in heterogeneous string classes because, in most elementary string programs, there’s not a way to just play the violin or just play the viola.” Most classes were a culmination of many instruments and didn’t have one focus. The book includes recordings for students to listen to since one of the main components of the Suzuki approach is to listen to music everyday.
Crock uses this method at Parkway Central High School and has had much success. Her orchestra was selected to perform at the Missouri State Music conference two years in a row, and many of her students have been selected to be part of the Missouri All-State Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony’s Youth Orchestra each year. During her tenure at Parkway Central, the music department has been awarded Grammy Gold Signature School status as one of the top music departments in the country.
She has been at the school for 25 years and absolutely loves working there. “We have a very comprehensive program,” she said, noting that the administration believes that both sports and music are very important to students. “We really think you need to do both,” she said. “This is part of your education. We’re committed to make it work.” She also gushed about the staff: “It’s a really unique department in that we really feel that these are our kids and our program, not mine and yours.”
What are her other hobbies outside of music? “How can I possibly have time for a hobby?” she questioned while laughing. “My hobby is teaching privately or playing my violin.” Whether it’s trying to improve her own playing or trying to learn more in terms of teaching and preparing different ideas for the orchestras or ensembles to perform, her dedication is to music and improving the program.
Crock says she is also a huge supporter of the St. Louis Symphony, which in return, greatly supports music education. “The Symphony’s outreach program is terrific,” she said. Many of her students, both private and from Parkway, have been in the Youth Orchestra, and a number of Symphony players teach some of the school kids privately. She has also taken her students to concerts there for decades. She said, “To have that level of artistic experience just 30 minutes away is amazing. A lot of major symphonies just don’t have that depth of connection to schools in the area.” Crock believes the symphony really understands how it can get young people involved, and it has had an impact on music education for the whole St. Louis area.
“It’s very flattering and just thrilling to have the symphony say ‘Hey what you do is important’ and to value what you do as a teacher,” she said of her recognition as 2013 Educator of the Year.
Music Director David Robertson will present Crock her award on stage at Powell Hall just prior to the St. Louis Symphony’s performance at 8 p.m. May 4. She will also be interviewed that evening during the Symphony’s broadcast on St. Louis Public Radio, 90.7 – KWMU.
“What the symphony has done for the community really gives students a wonderful goal to strive for and it improves everything they do in terms of their music educatio