RICHARD BALLINGER

​​​Mr. Ballinger started playing the viola when he was 12 years old in public school in Lakeland, FL under the direction of Michael Sedloff and in the Imperial Symphony Community Orchestra. He attended Florida Southern College where he graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Music Performance Degree. While at FSC, he was principal violist for the FSC Symphony Orchestra, and violist in the FSC String Quartet. He studied there under the direction of Arthur Pranno and Larry Sledge.

Today Richard is an orchestra director at Oslo Middle School, where he has more than 150 string and music students.  Richard came to Vero Beach in 2004 after teaching privately and directing youth orchestras in Stuart, Florida.

He has performed in and as a soloist with several orchestras throughout the state of Florida. ​He also occasionally functions as MPA judge for various Solo & Ensemble days and Orchestra festivals.  He has also served as a clinician for several all county honors orchestra in the state of Florida comprised of advanced middle and high school string students.
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Richard also performs violin and viola and is co-founder of the performance ensembles Ocean Strings with his wife Nicole.
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Richard, WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT TEACHING MUSIC THE MOST?
"I LOVE to see how inspired my students become when we perform music together! Its the most Soulful experience I get to have with them... and we do it EVERY DAY!"

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​STUDIO ASSOCIATIONS:
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FLORIDA ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION (FOA) 
MUSIC EDUCATORS NATIONAL CONFERENCE (MENC) 
FLORIDA MUSIC EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION (FMEA)                                                                                                                                                          
AMERICAN STRING TEACHERS ASSOCIATION (ASTA)
SUZUKI ASSOCIATION OF THE AMERICAS (SAA)