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2025 Adjudicators and Clinicians
Dr. Tammy S. Yi is a conductor-educator, string pedagogy specialist, and music education scholar from Los Angeles, CA. She is an assistant professor of music education at Chapman University, Director of Mariachi Panteras, and the orchestra conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic YOLA Orchestra. Dr. Yi is also faculty at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, teaching graduate courses in music performance research and pedagogy. As an international conductor, she has performed at prestigious international venues, collaborating with artists including Janet Jackson, Gustavo Dudamel, Ray Chen, Thomas Wilkins, and many more.
Dr. Yi emphasizes the importance of transformative social activism for young people in music, education, and the performing arts. She keeps an active conducting schedule, working with youth in El-Sistema orchestra programs, local school communities, and state honor ensembles. In 2024, she was the All-State Conductor for the Texas Music Educators Association. Dr. Yi presents her scholarship at conferences worldwide, including Oxford University, Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and headlining the 2023 Texas Orchestra Directors Association Conference. Dr. Yi trains future music teachers in a social justice ethos so that educators can develop culturally and community-responsive pedagogy in orchestra education. Her research has appeared in music education journals, including Music Education Research, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, and Music Educators Journal.
Dr. Yi's musical accomplishments in teaching, scholarship, and youth activism have earned her a number of prestigious awards. She was awarded the Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion Research Award, the Grant for Pedagogical Innovation, which led to the formation of the first collegiate mariachi ensemble in Orange County, and the Award of Excellence from Chapman University. She was also named a finalist for the 2022 Grammy Music Educator Award.
Margaret Selby is the orchestra director and 2020-21 Teacher of the Year at Laing Middle School in Charleston, SC. She was the 2022 Featured Clinician for the Orchestra Division of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) and is a co-author of the Habits of a Successful Young String Musician books and a contributing author for Rehearsing the Middle School Orchestra. She has been a conductor for the Interlochen Arts Camp, the West Virginia Junior All-State Orchestra, and multiple regional orchestras in Texas and across the South. Mrs. Selby has presented sessions for the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the national ASTA conference, the Texas Orchestra Directors Association (TODA), Arizona ASTA, and state music educator conferences in Ohio, New Mexico, Georgia, and South Carolina. She has adjudicated orchestras in Las Vegas and South Carolina, and she served as the President for the SCMEA Orchestra Division. She earned degrees in Music Education and Cello Performance from the University of South Carolina, studying under Dr. Robert Jesselson, and she is a registered Suzuki cello teacher. Mrs. Selby lives in Mt. Pleasant, SC with her husband, Chris, and their two crazy teenagers. She enjoys running and sampling Charleston’s many amazing restaurants.
Creston Herron is a highly accomplished musician and educator. He currently serves as the Director of Orchestral Activities at the University of Kansas, and a faculty member at the Interlochen Arts Camp. He has guest-conducted regional and all-state ensembles in numerous states, and has served on the summer faculties of several prestigious music festivals.
Mr. Herron has received national recognition for his work as both an educator and musician. Under his direction, orchestras have won multiple national titles. He has also been recognized for his work in music education as Teacher of the Year at Klein High School, the Marjorie Keller Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award by the state board of the Texas Chapter of ASTA, and the Spec’s Charitable Award for Excellence in Music Education awarded by the Houston Symphony.
In addition to his work as an educator, Mr. Herron continues to hone his performance skills as a violinist. He has collaborated with artists such as Renee Fleming, Mark O’Connor, and Rachel Barton-Pine, and has performed with several orchestras and ensembles.
Mr. Herron is a talented and dedicated musician who has made significant contributions to the field of music education. He is an inspiration to his students and colleagues, and his work has enriched the lives of countless people.
Frank Lestina has degrees from Roosevelt University and the University of Illinois. He taught orchestra in Illinois for 33 years including Danville, Libertyville, and Vernon Hills.
The LHS Orchestra performed at the Midwest Clinic in 1991 and again in 1996. In addition, Orchestras traveled extensively, including three tours to Europe. VHHS opened in the fall of 2000 with Mr. Lestina as Fine Arts Supervisor and Orchestra Director. The string enrollment grew to 150 students in three orchestras in the first ten years. The VHHS Orchestras continued the tradition of travel including tours to China, Spain, Italy, and Prague/Austria. The VHHS Symphony Orchestra performed at the Midwest Clinic in 2009.
Mr. Lestina retired in 2013 and currently serves as adjunct faculty at DePaul University and VanderCook College of Music in Chicago. In addition, Mr. Lestina currently serves on the Advisory Board of The Midwest Clinic and moderates the New Music Reading Session for Orchestra. Mr. Lestina served as interim Director of Programming for the 2019 Midwest Clinic.
Mr. Lestina is a member of American String Teachers Association and was very active in the Illinois Music Educators Association where he served on the ILMEA State Board as the District 7 President for two terms.
Mr. Lestina is very active as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator at both the middle and high school levels. He also enjoys arranging and adapting music for string and full orchestra. Mr. Lestina conducted the ILMEA All-State Orchestra for the 2014 Conference in Peoria, Illinois. In 2018, Mr. Lestina was awarded an honorary Doctorate from VanderCook College of Music for his contributions to music education.
Stephen Lawrence-Carroll serves as the Director of Orchestral and Music Theory Activities at North Atlanta High School in Atlanta, GA, where his dedication to the arts extends to his role as the Fine and Performing Arts Department Chair. His remarkable contributions to education have garnered numerous accolades, including the distinguished title of Teacher of the Year for the 2018-2019 academic year and High School Teacher of the Year within the Atlanta Public School System.
Mr. Lawrence-Carroll's passion and expertise have not only been recognized locally but also at the state and national level, with distinctions such as the Educator of the Year by the American String Teacher’s Association Georgia Chapter, the Atlanta Public Schools Fine Arts Teacher Excellence Award, and the prestigious Country Music Awards Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence Award. In addition to his honors, Stephen has been a prominent figure in music education conferences, sharing his insights at events like the Georgia Music Educators Association Conference, the Texas Music Educators Association Conference, and the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Conference. His dedication extends to serving as the State Orchestra Chair for the Georgia Music Educator's Association.
Mr. Lawrence-Carroll holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Loyola University New Orleans and a Master of Music Education from the University of Georgia.
Sarah Ball has been teaching orchestra for twenty seven years, currently at North Gwinnett Middle School in Sugar Hill, Ga, where she is one of two orchestra directors. The NGMS orchestra program has 575 students enrolled in grades 6-8. The 8th grade orchestra was selected to perform at GMEA in January (2012 and 2024), and received the GMEA Exemplary Performance Award in 2009 and 2015. In December 2013, the NGMS Honor Orchestra performed at The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic.
Mrs. Ball holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Appalachian State University. She was named the NGMS Teacher of the Year for 2011-12 and was selected as the middle school Teacher of the Year for Gwinnett County. In 2018, Mrs. Ball was chosen as the GA ASTA String Educator of the year and was awarded with the Elizabeth A. H. Green award by the American String Teacher’s Association in March of 2023. She is active as a clinician, conductor, and adjudicator, at the local, state, and national level.
Mrs. Ball started violin at the age of 10 in the Henderson County Strings Program (Hendersonville, NC) and currently resides in Johns Creek, Georgia, with her husband, Jerrod and their cats, Topsy and Turvy.
Young K. Kim is currently the Director of Orchestras at Johns Creek High School in Johns Creek, Georgia. Under his direction, his groups have performed four times at The Midwest Clinic and seven times at the GMEA Conference. Other notable performances include the 58th Biennial MENC Conference and participating in six European concert tours.
Mr. Kim was selected as “2006 Georgia Music Educator of the Year” and received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by Georgia ASTA. He was the Teacher of the Year” at Johns Creek High School and was named three times as their “S.T.A.R. Teacher.“
Mr. Kim is an active clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator throughout the United States and abroad. He was a member of the prestigious Georgia Governor’s Honors Program faculty for four summers. In addition to guest conducting All-State and Honor Orchestras, he has also conducted many summer music camps such as the Interlochen Arts Camp, GA ASTA music camp, and the UGA Summer Music Camp. He currently serves as the certified Head Adjudicator for the GMEA Orchestra Large Group Performance Evaluation.
Brian Griffin is a conductor, string pedagogue, and violinist. He has dedicated his career to the expansion and development of string programs in public schools. As Director of Orchestras at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, he has developed an innovative orchestra curriculum consisting of four orchestras, a cello choir and double bass ensemble, as well as string chamber music and string pedagogy courses. He also taught strings in the Spartanburg (SC) District 7 Orchestra Program and at Landon Middle School of the Arts and Academics.
The Orchestra Program at Douglas Anderson (DA) has earned recognition through performing at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Florida MEA Conference, and the ASTA National Orchestra Festival. The DA Orchestras also contributed to the DA Music Department’s GRAMMY National Signature School designation as the top music department in the nation in 2010, 2012, and 2016.
Mr. Griffin earned the Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the University of Alabama, where he studied violin with Patrick Rafferty. He also studied violin with Rachel Huang, Paul Statsky, and Jerrie Lucktenberg. He is an active performer, playing violin throughout Northeast Florida. He has served on the Executive Board for the Florida Orchestra Association as an All-State Orchestra Coordinator, Music Committee Chair, District 17 Chair, and as Ethics Chair. He has served as a clinician, adjudicator, and session presenter for the Florida Orchestra Association. In recent years, he has led All-State Orchestras in South Carolina and Georgia as well as numerous regional orchestras in Florida, Texas, and Kentucky.
Dr. Jeffrey Tedford is the Chair of the Department of Music at Grove City College where he also serves as the Director of Orchestral Activities. He conducts the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, teaches String Methods and Conducting courses, coaches chamber ensembles, and works with student teachers. His orchestras have performed at state and national conferences and have recorded multiple albums which are available on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services. In 2023, the GCC Symphony Orchestra was awarded 3rd place in The American Prize for Orchestral Performance.
An advocate for community service, Dr. Tedford was the President and Past-President of the Pennsylvania-Delaware String Teachers Association (PADESTA) from 2019-2024. He was the organization’s Distinguished Service Award winner in 2024 and the Orchestra Director of the Year in 2017. Dr. Tedford was elected to the School Board of the Grove City Area School District and is serving a four-year term from 2022-2026. He currently serves as the Board's Vice-President and Chair of the Finance Committee.
Dr. Tedford maintains an active conducting schedule and has recently conducted the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, Southwest Symphony, and Butler County Symphony Orchestra. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Grove City College and his Master’s degree in conducting from Carnegie Mellon University where he was the Assistant Conductor for the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh under the direction of world renowned conductor, Robert Page. He completed his Doctoral degree in Music Education at Shenandoah University.
Desiree Overree is the Director of Orchestras at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. Since opening in 2005, the program has grown to 280+ string players over eight performance ensembles. Her ensembles have consistently earned state and national recognitions, including earning the title of Honor String and Honor Full Orchestra in Texas Music Educators Association’s Honor Orchestra Competitions, being named National Orchestra Winners for the Mark of Excellence from the Foundation of Music Education, and winning the American Prize in Music.
She has been recognized in “Who’s Who Among American High School Teachers,” awarded Katy ISD’s Excellence in Teaching Award multiple times, and has been recognized as an Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars. In 2011, she was awarded the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award and in 2015, was named an Outstanding Educator Award from the University of Chicago. In 2023, she was selected by the American Prize in Music as an Honored Artist.
She is frequently invited as an adjudicator, presenter, clinician, and conductor. She holds professional memberships in Texas Music Adjudicators Association, Texas Orchestra Directors Association, and Mu Omicron, and proudly serves Texas Music Educators Association as the President of Region 23. Outside of Texas, she serves as an Educational Consultant for Music for All.