Ted received his BA and MA from The College of New Jersey in 1960 and 1961, emphasizing performance on orchestral and band instruments, and his Ed.D. in Creative Arts at Rutgers University in 1983.
Teaching and founding
His teaching career began in the Plainfield School District, where he created the Plainfield School of Music and the Summer Workshop, teaching band and orchestral instruments to students from age 4 to senior citizens. He joined the Westfield School District in 1967, teaching band and orchestral instruments to middle and elementary school students. In 1972 he founded the Westfield Summer Workshop, a five-week arts program for children in grades K through 12; enrollment grew to 975 students over the next 15 years. In response to parent requests, the New Jersey Workshop for the Arts was born in 1993. New programs such as The Music Connection, for students with developmental issues, and Music Fun Time, a pre-school program, were added along the way.
The alphorn
Ted is self-taught on the alphorn, the national instrument of Switzerland. He has performed at the UN, PNC Arts Center, Nickelodeon, the Food Network, Ellis Island, Swiss celebrations, an Amstel Beer promotional, Ricola commercials and events, the Quest and Kimmel Centers for the Arts, the World Financial Center in New York, Nightly News on Channel 11, and on an alphorn concert tour in Switzerland. He has been featured in the Star-Ledger, The New York Times and the Asbury Park Press, and was featured alphorn soloist at Dr. Ruth's 80th birthday party in New York.
Awards and honors
Among his honors: Adjunct Professor at TCNJ, 32nd degree Mason, the Town of Westfield Chamber of Commerce "Faith in Westfield" award, NJ State Senate and General Assembly proclamations, Westfield Downtown Corp., master student at the Alphorn Academy of Switzerland, Rotary Foundation International Paul Harris Fellow, the Westfield Rotary H. Emerson Thomas award, Optimist International Friend of Youth, Distinguished Music Alumnus at TCNJ, the International Templar's Medal of Achievement, and the Union County Achievement in Education award.
Professional work
His professional accomplishments include initiating and directing the first NJ Region II Intermediate Symphony Orchestra (1971), Concert Band (1972) and Viola Orchestra, serving as a trustee on many boards, founding and directing the International Alphorn Ensemble, and leading the Westfield Community Band, which he grew from a summer group into a year-round ensemble. Ted is on the faculty of the Sundance School in North Plainfield as Director of Instrumental Music.
He teaches and performs on most band and orchestral instruments, and has been featured on French horn, euphonium, tuba and alphorn with the Majestic Winds, Union Municipal Band and Chatham Community Band. He is known for performing Taps as a soloist and with his echo Taps ensemble since 1960.
Ted lives in Westfield with his wife Kitty. They are guardians of three of their ten grandchildren.