Ms. Curran started to teach orchestra in Bernards Township School district in 1992, and was the ONLY orchestra teacher in the district! Over the years, she attracted students to Orchestra and grew the program so that there are now three other orchestra directors in the district. This includes two teachers at the four elementary schools, and one teacher at the middle school. The Basking Ridge School District Orchestra Program is now one of the most thriving programs in the state of New Jersey, with students being recognized in All State Orchestras and International Competitions. As for her personal life, Ms. Curran grew up in Philadelphia. She started playing violin at age five and piano at age eight. She was a member of Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and Settlement Music School. After going to The College of New Jersey on a full music scholarship, she received her masters. Now, Ms. Curran resides in Hopewell with her boyfriend Rodolfo and her bichon, Sabrina. 

Q: Could you please describe your most memorable performance as a solo violinist, as part of an orchestra, or as a conductor?

A: When I was a high school student, I was a member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. During my senior year, we were doing a world tour and went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After we finished our concert, we did an Encore (a piece played after the concert, as requested by the audience) and played the Sleeping Beauty Waltz. As I played the last note of the piece, my bow flew out of my hand, into the woodwind section, and hit the second Flute.  The conductor made me stand up at the end for throwing the bow, and the audience applauded me. At the moment, it was quite embarrassing, but now that I look back, it was pretty funny. 

Q: What was your high school experience like? 

A: I attended a small, private, all girls, Catholic school in Philadelphia. It was small, but lots of fun. I was extremely into music as a high schooler. I was involved with almost all of the music ensembles my school offered — choir, orchestra, jazz band, and I even played timpani!

Q: Why did you decide to become an orchestra teacher?

A: If you wanted to pursue music back in the day, there were two options: solo performance or teaching.  Originally, I wanted to go for solo violin performance. By the time high school came around, I was very serious about violin. I had multiple lessons a week, and practiced a lot. In junior year, I had a talk with my violin teacher, and he said solo performance would be good, and asked how much I practice a day. I said three hours, and he replied that if I wanted to be a full time solo violinist, I would need to practice much more than three hours a day. That was too much time for me, so my violin teacher told me to get an education degree to fall back on in case performance is not for me. 

Q: Are there still only two options for going into music?

A: Now, there are more career options for aspiring musicians. For example, there’s music therapy, which is helping people heal through music, and also learning to become a manager for musicians. 

Q: What is your favorite part about your job?

A: My favorite part would have to be hearing the orchestra students say that they feel like they’re part of the orchestra family, or that the orchestra room is a home away from home. 

Q: Do you have any advice for students at Ridge who are considering majoring in music?

A: Get an education degree to fall back on. Also, know that you have the power to create your own reality, which is one of the best parts of being a teacher. You can build a program, and it’s really cool to watch it grow and to see what you create.

Q: How do you choose orchestra pieces?

A: I have certain favorites, and holiday time is a good time to revisit those favorites. I also like to introduce new pieces because it challenges me as well, not just the students, because there’s an element of preparation that I have to do. I occasionally revisit pieces from previous years, but not before a four or five year period. 

Q: What is your favorite piece of music and why?

A: At this point in my life, I would say Thomas Tallis Overture. The Ridge High School Orchestra played it for last year’s spring concert. I like it because its like an onion- there are so many layers of complexity- Darkness, Promise, Longing, and especially Hope. I encourage you all to listen to it. 

Q: Finally, do you have any music-listening recommendations for the students?

A: Lately, I’ve been obsessed with Puccini – especially the operas Madame Butterfly and Turandot. I also recommend listening to La Boheme by Puccini, and the Verdi operas. Also, any of the intermezzos (instrumental pieces in the middle of operas to change scenery/give singers a rest) in operas are worth listening to.