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Chuck Stites
Violin, Viola and Beginner Piano
Chuck Stites has been teaching Violin, Viola and Beginner Piano at Yancey Music Center for over 15 years. He has also used the concepts of Carl Orff in his work with children (ages 2-1/2 to 5) for over 25 years at Stetson University. Chuck retired after over 43 years in Church Music, and is now just a Parishioner at St Mary's Episcopal Church in Daytona Beach.
Chuck began his musical education at the age of 2-1/2 with piano in his home-town of South Bend, Indiana. In Fourth Grade he began taking violin lessons from Mr. Edwin Hames (formerly from Australia). Mr. Hames had toured Europe as a child musician. He later came to the United States and settled in Hillsdale, Michigan where he started the Music Department at Hillsdale College.
When Chuck was in 8th grade he began a slow switch to viola, and by 11th grade it was his main instrument of study.
Educated (BS MusEd) at Indiana State University, (advanced work) at Andrews University (Michigan), and at Ball State University (Indiana). He majored in String Education, Choral Education, and Conducting with special emphasis in Violin/Viola and Voice. While at Andrews University he was introduced to Carl Orff's Schulwerk which has been the focal point for most of his work for almost 40 years.
During the 70's Chuck lived in Charlotte, North Carolina where he taught at the Community School of the Arts, and founded his Children's Music Studio which specialized in the Schulwerk. While there he traveled throughout the Southeast holding workshops for teachers and church musicians in the techniques of teaching Orff's approach. He was the Orff Clinician several summers for the Presbyterian Association of Ministers and Musicians summer music conference at Montreat-Anderson College. While in North Carolina Chuck founded the Carolinas' Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association. Chuck excels at teaching string education, choral education, as well as conducting Classical and Gospel music.
During the 70's Chuck was also Musical Director / Conductor for Central Piedmont Community College's Summer Theatre program in Charlotte, North Carolina (similar to Daytona Beach's Seaside Theatre) as well as Musical Director / Conductor for the Charlotte Little Theatre.
Shortly after moving to the Daytona Beach area in the early 80's Chuck served for several seasons as Musical Director for the Daytona Playhouse. He has also served as Choir Master in the 80's and 90's at St. James Episcopal Church (Ormond Beach) and lastly Faith Lutheran Church (Ormond Beach). For several seasons he played both Violin and Viola with the Space Coast Philharmonic (Cocoa Beach). He founded the Palm Coast Chamber Orchestra and was the conductor for many years.
One of the greatest influences in Chuck's development were the experiences he had in Hancock, Maine at the Domaine School of Conducting with the great French conductor Pierre Monteux. From him he learned more than just conducting: Monteux was not only one of the great conductors of the 20th Century, but one of the greatest gentlemen. By his actions in working with musicians, he demonstrated that a conductor doesn't need to be tyrannical in leadership.
Chuck is the proud owner of a very rare over-sized Viola. It was made by Simon Schoedler of Passau, Germany sometime between 1720 and 1750.
Yancey Music Center Inc.
601 S. Yonge Street. (US 1)
Ormond Beach, Florida
32174Telephone: 1-386-677-8384
E-mail: music.store@yanceymusic.com Copyright 2008 Yancey Music Center
