Dr. Rachel Dirks

Assistant Professor
Director of Orchestral Studies
Division Head of Ensembles
Email: rdirks@ksu.edu
Office: 234 McCain Auditorium

Biography
Rachel Dirks, Director of Orchestral Studies, is an active conductor, clinician, and educator. In addition to her work with the KSU Symphony Orchestra, she teaches graduate and undergraduate conducting and string education courses at K-State. As a guest conductor Dr. Dirks has been invited to conduct orchestras throughout the United States, including recent appearances in California, Georgia, New York, Colorado, Arkansas, and throughout Kansas. As a featured clinician, she has presented at the National Convention of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic, and the state music education conferences of Texas, Oregon, Colorado, and Kansas. Her most recent research has been accepted for presentation at the International Society of Music Education (ISME) and the European String Teachers Association (ESTA). Dr. Dirks holds cello performance degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Bethel College, and a Ph.D. in music education, with an emphasis in orchestral conducting, from the University of Kansas.

Along with her work at Kansas State, Dr. Dirks serves on the national ASTA board, sharing her expertise on health and wellness with a focus on mental health. Her research has been published in a wide range of journals, online resources, and books including the American String Teacher, the String Research Journal, the Oxford Handbook of Care in Music Education, and several volumes of the instructional publication, Teaching Music Through Performance in Orchestra. She has led performance tours to the Baltic States, Italy, Austria, Ireland, San Francisco, Chicago, and New York, and as a cellist, she has enjoyed performing in a wide array of ensembles and venues, including Carnegie Hall. As an educator, she has been honored with awards from the Kansas Music Educators Association, the American String Teachers Association Kansas Chapter, the Lawrence Schools Foundation, and the Newton Public Schools. Throughout her work, her fundamental goal is to encourage musicians to seek and create community through music.