“Violins for Kids” Team
Hal Weller: Founder/Trustee
Harold (Hal) Weller is the Founding Music Director and Conductor Laureate of the Las Vegas Philharmonic. Weller retired in June 2007 completing a distinguished forty-five year career as music director of orchestras in Ohio, Virginia, New Mexico, Arizona, and Nevada. Weller is also the Founding Music Director of the Ashland (OH) Symphony and the Old Dominion (VA) Symphony as well as Conductor Laureate of the Flagstaff (AZ) Symphony.
In December 2007 Hal established the Foundation to Assist Young Musicians (FAYM) to support the education and career development of talented and needy young musicians world wide. In October 2011 FAYM received a special recognition award from the Clark County School District’s Partnership Program for its inner city “Violins for Kids” project.
As an arts advocate and activist, Hal has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Conductors Guild, the Nevada Arts Council, the Nevada School of the Arts, and the Las Vegas Youth Orchestras.
The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Weller was presented the 2003 Achievement Award in Arts & Entertainment from the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. Other honors include the Governor’s Award (New Mexico) and Flagstaff’s Citizen of the Year Award in 1991. In 1995 Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory named an asteroid in his honor. The Mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar B. Goodman, proclaimed October 9, 2005 as ‘Harold Weller Day’ in Las Vegas and again on June 30, 2007 in recognition of Hal’s many contributions and accomplishments for the arts in Las Vegas.
Email: Hal@theFAYM.org / Website: CLICK
Art Ochoa: Violins for Kids Coordinator
Arturo Ochoa is a retired school principal and is FAYM’s volunteer Violin Program Coordinator. Art is a true renaissance man who is responsible for initiating a Suzuki Violin Program while principal at Sunrise Acres ES in Las Vegas in 1999. The program blossomed for four years but was discontinued when Art moved to another school. Following retirement, he and Hal Weller met again, resurrected the violins from Sunrise Acres and, under FAYM’s banner, began a program of violin instruction for inner city youngsters in 2009. Now completing his third year — Art has volunteer hundreds of hours, given generously of his personal resources, and continued his commitment to the community to which he is so dedicated.
Susan Rasmussen: Violins for Kids Head Instructor
Susan Rasmussen is a registered Suzuki teacher in North Las Vegas. She not only has her private students but also teaches the violin students of the Foundation to Assist Young Musicians.
Mrs. Rasmussen began teaching Suzuki violin lessons in 1988 after having her first teacher training with Alice Joy Lewis at the Miami Suzuki Institute at the University of Miami.
She has also had training with Ronda Cole, Jacqueline Maurer, Libby Armour, Carrie Reuning-Hummel, Judy Offman , Rudy Hazuka and others. She also was fortunate to have lessons for several years with the internationally renowned Robert Rozek, a violin soloist and orchestra conductor.
In 2004 Mrs. Rasmussen created the Palm Beach Suzuki School for Strings with two string teachers During the next few years, PBSSS continued to grow and after a name change, was granted non profit status by the IRS in January 2010. Mrs. Rasmussen then moved to North Las Vegas. Miss Susan, as she is known, has two grown daughters who play viola and bass.
In addition to her teaching, Mrs. Rasmussen was a committee member that founded the Youth Orchestra of Palm Beach County where she continued to volunteer for the orchestra by doing administrative activities as well as being the orchestra’s librarian. She volunteered at the Palm Beach County School of the Arts and taught students at the middle school who were behind in their training and couldn’t afford private lessons. Mrs. Rasmussen also volunteered at the Palm Beach Public Elementary School for several years assisting the string teacher. In 1997 she was part of a committee of string teachers who created the Palm Beach County String Festival which is now in its 15th year. She not only prepared students to participate but also put together the program for the first 9 years.
Miss Susan’s website: CLICK
Chris Preciado: Coordinator/Media Director
Christopher Preciado is an emerging graphic designer and photographer based in the exciting city of Las Vegas. He is active in the local political scene where he holds board of directors positions and has worked for various political campaigns having received recognition for his work during the 2010 mid-term elections and the 2011 Nevada state legislative session. Through compelling ad campaigns and with the help of social media Christopher has been able to make his mark by bringing attention to the causes closest to him.
Christopher has graduated from the Las Vegas Academy of Internation Studies, Performing and Visual Arts where he had the opportunity to perform for various concert competitions including the Bands of America 2011 National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis, IN. He currently attends the College of Southern Nevada as a business major. He hopes to bring his many talents to help FAYM prosper.