LaSaundra Booth is a National Board Certified teaching artist, inventor, author, conductor, and arts administrator. Booth was named one of 50 Directors who Make A Difference by School Band and Orchestra Magazine. She has 20 years experience teaching and conducting orchestra at the elementary, middle, high, and collegiate level.  All of her performing ensembles received superior ratings in adjudicated music festivals and competitions.

Booth has a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University, a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership, a Master’s Degree in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Bachelor of Music from North Carolina Central University. She studied with Dr. Timothy Holley, Alex Ezerman, Jesse L. Suggs, Jr., Kellie Keiser, and Jennifer Wernicke. Booth serves as lecturer of music education at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill and adjunct assistant professor at Shenandoah University.  Booth previously served as Director of Strings at Winston-Salem State University. Booth is also project grant manager for the National Association of Music Education’s Connected Arts (CAN) Network, where she oversees the professional development for a national cadre of  teacher leaders.

Booth is an alumni of  Sphinx LEAD (Leaders in Excellence, Arts & Diversity), who is known for anchoring discussions on how to make public school orchestra programs more equitable, diverse, and inclusive to all students. Her most recent speaking engagements include Manhattan School of Music’s Precollege Division, Sphinx Connect, the National Association for Music Education’s Town Hall, and the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). Booth’s dissertation Factors that Influence the Status of K-12 String Orchestra Programs in North Carolina public schools was the first of its kind to focus specifically on string orchestra programs in North Carolina.

Booth has a successful history of establishing diverse, equitable, and inclusive programs at the elementary, middle, high school, and collegiate levels. She founded the Wake Forest Community Youth Orchestra (2013), a non-profit organization that provides expert orchestral instruction and free instruments to youth where orchestra opportunities are limited or do not exist. In her tenure, Booth has grown the organization from 3 students to over 350 Pre-K through 12th grade students across Wake, Franklin, and Vance counties. In April 2021, Booth received the Vance County Champion of the Arts Award for bringing the first after-school string program to the district.

Booth is an accomplished woman. She is author of Meals for Musicians: Delicious Meals to Fit Your Busy Lifestyle. Booth was awarded a patent for a device to enhance string instruments (USPTO# 20140260902). She was featured in the 2008 edition of North Carolina Symphony’s Opus magazine and performed on an episode of One Tree Hill, the WB network’s hit television series. In December 2022, Dr. Booth co-authored, Finding Light in Difficult Times: Responding, Creating, & Protecting Intellectual Property

Booth is in demand as a cellist and conductor. She has performed with Integrity Strings, Cellist Ti Awo, Colour of Music Symphony Orchestra, Greensboro Philharmonia, Raleigh Symphony, Duke Symphony, and Durham Symphony. Her most recent appointments include guest conductor of the Intercollegiate Music Association’s String Orchestra (IMA), conductor of NAfME’s All-National Honors Symphony Orchestra, guest clinician for the California Orchestra Director Association (CODA 2022) and Washoe County School District High School Honors Orchestra in Reno, NV (2022). Dr. Booth served as the 2022 Chamber Orchestra conductor for  Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles(YOLA) National Festival and will return in July 2023 to conduct again. She is excited to serve as the Orchestra Headliner for the 2023 Northwest Regional Music Educators Association in Bellevue, Washington.  (2023)

Job Position

Executive Director

Organization

 Wake Forest Community Youth Orchestra 

Pronouns

she/her

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