Jacob Bitinas
Music Educator
The Educator
As one of the two orchestra directors at Dickerson Middle School, Jacob Bitinas provides daily instruction to 485 violin, viola, cello, and bass students. Each grade is broken down into two classes consisting of up to 90 students. Mr. Bitinas focuses his pedagogy on maintaining a positive learning environment where student all students succeed.
In August of 2017, Mr. Bitinas founded a student consort of viola da gambas. Each year, an average of 25 students participate in this extension activity by using instruments loaned by the Viola da Gamba Society of America. These students learn about music history, viola da gamba, and the development of modern string instruments in 50 minute classes that meet each day of the week. This ensemble has received praise from Early Music America executive director Karin Brookes as a "great example of early music education in the k-12 school system". Digital articles on the Dickerson Viol Consort have been published on Early Music America's website as well as the Atlanta Early Music Alliance's Broadside quarterly publication.
Though he spends most of his time focusing on classroom pedagogy, Mr. Bitinas enjoys maintaining a private double bass studio, organizing workshops like Music on the Mountain, and presenting sessions and clinics on double bass education, music history, and historical performance. Mr. Bitinas has recently judged at the Alabama Orchestra Association's Music Performance Assessment; presented workshops at The University of Alabama, Columbus State University, and Cobb County School District's EdCamp sessions; and taught on staff of Upbeat! String Camp for the past five years.
