Duke students are not the only ones fine-tuning their craft in the Biddle Music Building.
Duke University String School, a pre-college classical music string instrument program for students ages five to 18 that offers group classes at a variety of levels for violin, viola, cello and bass, receives support from the University's music department and Office of Durham and Regional Affairs. Established in 1967 by founding director Dorothy Kitchen and Arlene di Cecco, DUSS recently experienced its first major change in leadership approximately two months ago when Erica Shirts—associate concertmaster of the Fayetteville Symphony in North Carolina—replaced Kitchen to become the school's second-ever director.
Shirts said she hopes to increase Duke students' involvement in the school and eventually create an elite chamber orchestra that could travel as the "flagship" of the organization.
"My ultimate goal is that they have confidence in their instrument and enjoy music and find a place in classical music that they love,“ Shirts said. "We pretty much offer everything you could need for a musical education.”
Duke assists DUSS, which provides training to more than 250 students, by providing facilities for its various activities. Lessons are held in Biddle, rehearsals in Biddle's Bone Hall and performances in both Nelson Music Room and Baldwin Auditorium on East Campus.
In order to increase involvement in the school, Shirts seeks to have Duke students compose pieces for DUSS students. She also envisions having students interested in music education helping teach the orchestra or observe classes. Although Duke students have worked with DUSS in the past, there are currently not any involved.
Another way Shirts said she wants to engage Duke students is by developing a pedagogy technique class in which students could learn how to teach music.
“Those teachers would get experience teaching helper lessons to young violinists and cellists,” she said.
Shirts has experience in children's classical music education as a former violin teacher in Kidznotes—a North Carolina organization based off Venezuela’s El Sistema program targeting low-income children and providing them with classical music training at a low cost. Because of her role as director of the Kidznotes violin program in Raleigh, Shirts said she hopes to form a partnership between DUSS and Kidznotes in the future.
Shirts obtained her master's degree in music from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, where she discovered her passion for working with kids.
“Ever since I worked in that program, I knew I wanted to work with a string school,” Shirts said. “My dream was to run one, and I’m very fortunate enough to have found my dream job at the age of 27.”
Although Shirts admitted that it has been intimidating to take over for Kitchen, she explained that the solid foundation Kitchen built at DUSS has already made the school an important part of the Durham arts community.
“She has brought it to a place where it’s very easy to mold and shape and to make better and to bring it to where I want it to be,” Shirts said. “She has set the stage in a way that’s made it very easy to step into my role because she has made it so much a part of the community.”
The continued integration of DUSS into the Durham community amid leadership changes is one of the primary challenges Shirts faces. In the last two months, she has worked to establish solid relationships with parents, students and University administrators, who help her coordinate logistics for the use of Duke facilities, she said.
Although she will be teaching beginning violin and technique classes, another one of Shirts' primary duties will be developing her own vision for the school, Kitchen noted in an email.
“I expect Mrs. Shirts to keep it going so that young string players from all parts of life may continue to make music,” Kitchen wrote. “She will have her own vision developing out of mine and many other people and herself.”
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