Dr. Holly Hughes
As director of The Burch School
of Music in Weatherford, Texas, Dr. Hughes brings with her over twenty years of successful
teaching experience at the college and pre-college levels. Dr. Hughes received both her
Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Texas Tech University, and, after a year of
study as a Rotary International Scholar at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende
Kunst, "Mozarteum", in Salzburg, Austria, she taught for several years at
McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, where she achieved the rank of Associate Professor
with Tenure. She earned a Doctor of Arts degree from Ball
State University in 1987, where her emphasis was in Chamber Music and
Accompanying.
In 1990 she became a member of the Music Department faculty at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and achieved the rank of Associate Professor with Tenure. In this capacity she maintained a studio of graduate and undergraduate performance majors and minors, and also served as coordinator both of the accompanying and class piano programs. In the Spring of 1998 two of her students performed with the University of Florida Orchestra as winners of the annual Concert Competition.
Dr. Hughes supervised many graduate students during her tenure at the University of Florida as they learned the art of teaching both through their graduate assistantships and through Dr. Hughes' pedagogy classes. During her first five years at the University of Florida, she served as liaison to the University of Florida's Department of Theater, and served as Musical Director and Conductor of nine productions. Each summer she conducted a Summer Piano Festival for junior- and senior-high pianists, and in her final two years at the University of Florida expanded the Piano Festival to include teacher workshops with nationally known pedagogues.
During the summer of 1997, Dr. Hughes was part of the faculty of the first German
for Singers program at the annual Summer
Language Schools at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont. She accompanied and
coached singers from across the country in concerts and master classes. This seven-week
immersion program in the German language is recognized by colleges and universities
throughout the United States as one of the premier summer language programs.
In 1998 Dr. Hughes moved to Weatherford, Texas, to found
the Burch School of Music with the help of her husband, Fred Burch.. A life-long dream of running an independent
studio with children of all ages became realized.
Dr. Hughes has performed in many areas of this country and in Europe, as both a soloist and a chamber musician, and is listed in Who's Who Among America's Teachers in Colleges and Universities. Dr. Hughes has been named a Certified Master Teacher by the Music Teachers' National Association.
As the director of the Burch School of Music, Dr. Hughes enjoys being part of a growing community and working with young and old alike in the pursuit of joyful music making.
