Delaine Fedson Leonard will retire from the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music at the end of the current academic year in May.
Leonard joined the faculty in 2000 and held concurrent teaching positions at Baylor University, St. Edwards University, Texas A&M, Southwestern University, Winthrop University (Rock Hill, S.C.), and Austin Community College.
Leonard has been tenured with the Dallas Opera Orchestra and the Waco and Valley Symphony Orchestras. She has served 12 years on the American Harp Society (AHS) Board of Directors, including two terms as president. She is a Suzuki Association of the Americas and Hong Kong Suzuki Talent Education Harp Teacher Trainer who has trained Suzuki teachers and students all over the world.
We reached out to Leonard to learn more about her teaching career.
What were some of the highlights or memorable moments of your career as a teacher at the University of Texas?
One of the highlights every year of my career was seeing my students receive their diplomas and watching their careers blossom on the national and international stage. There have also been memorable moments preparing the twice-yearly UT Harp Ensemble programs. Some of my favorites were the benefit concert for Whole Planet Foundation, a Celtic-themed concert of song and spoken word, and playing the national anthem for the local Roller Derby.
As one of the few credentialed Suzuki Teacher Trainers, I was able to bring officially recognized Suzuki harp teacher training to a university curriculum. We were the first collegiate harp studio to offer this training as an add-on to a performance degree.
Performing chamber music with my university colleagues has been a true joy. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to perform with excellent musicians, commission new works for the harp, and explore music for unusual chamber combinations like harp and brass, organ, voice, and woodwind quintet.
How did your teaching change or develop throughout your career?
I have always been curious about how and why humans learn, what motivates us, and how we communicate. Each student has an individual learning style, and that has shaped how I approach teaching. I’ve continually been on the lookout for social science books, articles, podcasts, and online teaching forums to stay current with educational trends. My love of pedagogy will continue beyond the university setting, and I look forward to sharing new ideas with harp teachers in the Suzuki teacher training workshops.
What plans do you have for your retirement?
Do musicians ever truly retire? Though I’m leaving the University of Texas, I will continue private teaching, performing chamber and orchestral music, and providing Suzuki Teacher Training.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
My 22-year tenure at UT Austin was the fulfillment of a life-long dream to teach others to play the harp, and I’m excited to pass the torch to the next generation. My next projects are renewing my Pilates teacher license and finishing a professional certificate in jewelry fabrication at Austin Community College. I recently placed in the top three percent of a large local juried competition for jewelers, so who knows?
