- Will Earhart
Will Earhart (
April 1 1871 -April 23 1960 ) was a pioneering Americanmusic educator .Born in
Franklin, Ohio , Earhart studied violin, piano, counterpoint and harmony. He began teaching inMiamisburg, Ohio and later became music supervisor in the public schools ofGreenville, Ohio .In 1898, he moved to
Richmond, Indiana to become Director of the Richmond High School Orchestra, believed to be the first complete high school symphony orchestra. He helped to found The Richmond Civic Orchestra, a forerunner of theRichmond Symphony Orchestra .In 1912, Earhart became Director of Music in the Pittsburgh Public Schools, where he remained until his retirement in 1940. In 1913, he founded the Department of Public School Music at the
University of Pittsburgh .He was a member of the Music Educators National Conference for nearly half a century and was its president in 1915. He is a member of the Music Educators Hall of Fame. He was also a member of
Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America.He died in
Portland, Oregon in 1960, aged 89.
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