KEYNOTE AWARD 2025 – William “Mr. Bill” Dick
Harmony School was a one-room rural school located six miles east of Winfield, Kansas, with just 13 students across grades 1 through 8. I was a third-grade student there in the mid-20th century. The setting was idyllic: a large coal stove for heat, a hand-pumped well for water, a barn for the horses students rode to school—all nestled in the middle of a wheat field. It could have been a scene from a Willa Cather short story. And it had just one teacher.
On Tuesdays, Mrs. Wamsley would arrive at Harmony School with a carload of violins. The first time I drew the bow across the strings, I was astonished: my physical actions had produced a musical sound. It felt like magic. I was instantly obsessed—with the sound of the violin, and with the actions required to create it. I begged my mom to get me an instrument I could play every day, not just on Tuesdays.
Mrs. Wamsley noticed my passion and recommended I study with Mrs. Leoti Newland in town. That opportunity changed my life. Mrs. Newland gave me technical freedom through patient and loving instruction, and the personal strength and courage to pursue artistry. I carry her teachings—and her spirit—with me to this day.
In high school, I met Howard Halgedahl, bassoonist in the Wichita Symphony and assistant to Joseph Maddy at Interlochen, who also conducted the Winfield High School Orchestra. Under his guidance and Mrs. Newland’s, I was encouraged to pursue my musical talents to the fullest.
Throughout my career, I have sought to pass on the same technical foundation and courage to pursue artistry that I received. I’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds—if not thousands—of students. They have taught me just as much as I have taught them, and I love each one.
I hold degrees from Kansas State University and the University of Texas at Austin. My teaching career has included kindergarten Suzuki violin classes at Casis Elementary, orchestra programs at O. Henry Junior High and Austin High School, a sabbatical replacement at the Iolani School in Honolulu, three years at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, four years at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, and 36 years as founder and conductor of the Austin Youth Symphony Orchestra.
I’ve co-authored four books for string development—Mastery for Strings (Levels One and Two) and Learning Together (Levels One and Two)—all published by Alfred Music.
Awards and Distinctions:
- Teacher Trainer for the Suzuki Association of the Americas
- Public School Column Editor, American Suzuki Journal
- Building Community Award, Suzuki Association of the Americas
- 1994 Music Educator of the Year, American String Teachers Association
- Director of the Year, Texas Orchestra Directors Association
- NEA Award for collaboration with Austin ISD Orchestra staff
- “Music of the Heart” Award, National Academy of Recording Artists
- Five concertmasters and four principal players in Texas All-State Orchestras
- Phyllis Young Outstanding Studio Teacher Award, Texas String Teachers Association
- All-State Orchestra conductor in Colorado, Tennessee, Alabama, and California
- Keynote Award, The Foundation for Music Education