Millennium Magazine_2ndEd

52 MILLENNIUM-SECOND EDITION S usan Marie Barzda loved music as a child and dreamed of being a band director at the age of 10. Her parents, who always encouraged her to pursue her dreams, thought it was important for her to have a clarinet. Ms. Barzda also had dreams of sharing her passion with others as a teacher. Once she began working in the field, she took special education classes and included music as a teaching modality. As she progressed in her career, she started working with disabled people and thought it would be temporary, but she bonded with many of her students. Her propensity for helping those who could not help themselves proved to be a consistent force throughout her career. Though she loved working with bands, she was one of very few women in her position and unfortunately faced discrimination from her peers. Throughout her career, Ms. Barzda has had many mentors. Her band and college band directors were both important to her, as well as James Waldeck, a high school band director, and Professor Robert Harrison, a college band director, who after teaching went on to help musicians, which she found very inspiring. She is most proud of seeing individuals with whom she worked at the Cambridge Center become more independent. In 1991, she had the opportunity to travel to Lithuania, her grandparents’ home country, for three weeks. She has received many awards and accolades for her contributions to the field, including the President’s Award from the Ohio Community Theatre Association and the Dick Beal Outstanding Regional Representative Award. Looking to the future, Ms. Barzda hopes to continue playing instruments, writing and traveling. She earned a Bachelor of Music as an instrumentalist music and clarinet major. SUSAN MARIE BARZDA MUSIC EDUCATOR AND ADMINISTRATOR (RETIRED) Cambridge Developmental Center Cambridge, OH