Ms. Layla Feaster is one of West Po’s newest teachers. As of October, she has replaced Ms. Day Javkhlan as the orchestra director.
Originally from the Sunshine State, Ms. Feaster graduated from Florida State University this past spring. This has been her first time officially teaching orchestra since receiving her diploma.
Differing from many young musicians, Ms. Feaster’s primary instrument is double bass. Although, she has picked up a few more string instruments since attending college.
“I’ve been in orchestra since I was in fifth grade and I really, really liked it. It has been something that I have stuck with for a really long time,” said Ms. Feaster.
As a high school senior, Ms. Feaster, like many others, wasn’t too sure what she saw on her horizon. She was a tutor and enjoyed it, therefore saw herself doing something in the realm of educating young people.
“When it came time to choose a major for college, I decided on music just because I realized I couldn’t live without it. I can’t imagine just going throughout life without music.” Ms. Feaster remarked about choosing to study music education.
Learning a string instrument is notoriously difficult to learn, typically requiring an ample amount of practice to perfect each song. Nevertheless, watching an orchestra grow from sight-reading a piece to performing it on stage can be quite spectacular.
“My favorite part about teaching orchestra is seeing everybody get better, even if it’s a little bit everyday. That’s all that matters.” Ms. Feaster said.
