Beth
Mairs brings to the podium and to her classroom, a passion for
music, a deep love of children, and a strong commitment to help
students develop as musicians and fall in love with music at the
same time.
Raised in Pittsburgh, PA in a family where
all types of music were revered and learning to play an
instrument was encouraged, Beth began playing the horn in the 4th
grade. She studied with Patricia Standley and later Forrest
Standley. A member of the public school bands and the
Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, she discovered the joys of playing in
an ensemble that was not only good, but in which everyone seemed
to love being a part of that ensemble. Influenced by her
attendance at many performances of the Pittsburgh Symphony under
William Steinberg, Beth pursued a Music Performance degree at
West Virginia University, studying with Forest Standley and
David Mairs. Upon receiving her degree, she served as Third
Horn for the San Antonio Symphony before returning to
Pittsburgh, where she joined the faculty of Duquesne University
as a Horn Instructor. She performed as a member of the
Pittsburgh Chamber Orchestra, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble,
and as an extra hornist with the Pittsburgh Symphony (under
Steinberg and Andre Previn) and the Pittsburgh Opera Orchestra.
Marriage and family took her to Flint,
Michigan where she served as 2nd Horn for the Flint
Symphony for five years. In Flint, while nurturing her children
in their early education, Beth Mairs discovered her passion for
working with children. Beginning as a classroom teacher of 3rd,
4th, and 5th graders, she continued
playing and teaching private horn students. In 1989 the Mairs
family moved to San Antonio, TX, and Beth began her career as a
public school music educator. She taught Middle School
Orchestra for several years before being invited to join the
staff at Winston Churchill High School. During her 4 years at
Churchill High School, Beth witnessed the musical growth of many
students, including her two daughters, Ellie and Sarie. Sarie
is now a member off the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange in Washington,
DC. Ellie decided to become a Band Director like her mother and
has conducted for the last 5 years at Lewisville High School in
Lewisville, TX.
During the last four years, Beth has been
the Director of Bands at Alamo Heights High School in San
Antonio.
