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2023 Teacher of the Year: Dion Muldrow

Teacher of the Year Dion Muldrow

Dion Muldrow is in his 21st year of teaching and sixth year as Director of Bands at Apalachee High School. A native of Sumter, South Carolina, he is a 2001 graduate of the University of Georgia, where he earned his bachelor's degree in Music Education.

While at AHS, all ensembles earned superior ratings at concert, marching, and jazz performance evaluations. The Marching Cats participated in the McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2017) and will participate in the National Fourth of July Parade (2022).

"I use the avenue of music to teach the entire child. For example, dissonance, defined as a lack of harmony among musical notes, is the most exhilarating and life-altering lesson I teach in the band room. When working through this concept, all students are challenged to examine tensions within a particular musical selection. The natural tendency of music students is to shy away from the dissonance in the music due to the unsettling nature of the discord. The beauty in teaching this concept lies in the takeaway for the students. Speaking in terms of musical dissonance and tension leads to conversations about navigating difficulties in relationships. I ask the students to lean into the tension in their relationships by having difficult, but authentic conversations with hopes of finding a resolution."

Prior to AHS, Muldrow worked as Director of Bands at Shiloh and Cedar Shoals High Schools and Associate Director of Bands at Apalachee High School. Bands under his direction performed at the Nokia Sugar Bowl (2006 and 2012), the National Fourth of July Parade in Washington, D.C. (2010), the McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2015), and the KSU Concert Band Invitational (2016).

Mr. Muldrow is an active member of the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA). He serves as the state Vice President for Performance Evaluations and Band Chair for District 14. He organized district honor band(s) and large group performance evaluation(s) for several years. Also, he held the position of District Chair in both Districts 13 (6 years) and 14 (4 years). He is an active adjudicator and clinician throughout the state of Georgia. In addition, Muldrow served as a member of the school leadership team at Apalachee and Cedar Shoals high schools.

Mr. Muldrow resides in Bethlehem with his wife, Rachel, and their daughters, Raegan, and Daphne.

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