South Shore Conservatory Appoints New Vice President of Education

Lorna Jane Norris named for newly-created position

South Shore Conservatory (SSC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lorna Jane Norris as Vice President of Education for the 45-year old community school for the arts.

Over the past several years SSC, with campuses in Hingham and Duxbury, has experienced major programmatic growth.  In addition to its stellar classical, jazz, rock and pop music instruction programs, SSC provides extensive early childhood programs including Music Together® and an arts-integrated preschool, pre-k and kindergarten program, arts-based pre-reading programs in Hull and  Brockton, and additional partnerships in 12 public schools.  SSC also has a growing Creative Arts Therapies program that provides services for all ages and abilities. The growing demand has necessitated strengthening the organization with the addition of two new executive positions:  VP of Education, the position filled by Norris, and VP of Institutional Advancement, a position yet to be filled.

UK-born Norris has been with SSC since 2006 when she was hired as a voice instructor.  The following year she was appointed Voice Department Chair, a position she held for 4 years. 

“In the past I also taught piano and flute and felt that the nature of the relationship between a voice teacher and voice students was different. It was more intimate,” explains soprano Norris, who has been in the US since 1998. “I realized that the appropriate student/teacher match was very important, because ultimately, it’s a personal mentorship. As the Voice Department Chair I wanted to unite each student with a teacher who would guide them in their journey both vocally and in life.”

To help assess incoming students Norris created a voice evaluation system which focused on the specific goals, preferences and personality of each student, ensuring the best match with a teacher and creating that unique mentoring bond resulting in the growth and development of the student.  It was this process and result that caught the eye of SSC President Kathy Czerny who then created the role of Director of Private Instruction for her in 2009.  She was charged with applying the same strategies that caused the voice department to thrive, to the entire lesson program. SSC’s enrollment rocketed.  During her tenure as Director of Private Instruction SSC has added 40 new teachers to its exceptional faculty to meet the growing demand for individual music instruction, and the campuses are bursting at the seams.

In 2010 she was selected as one of 25 candidates to participate in the first Community Arts Education Leadership Institute (CAELI). A program of the National Guild for Community Arts Education, CAELI provides an intensive, transformative experience to help aspiring leaders from across the country advance their skills; engaging with top leadership trainers and nationally known practitioners. Following an acclaimed presentation at the Guild’s 2012 conference in Boston, Norris soon gained a national reputation as an innovator and expert in enrollment and retention strategies and has acted as a consultant to many other community arts schools. 

As the new Vice President of Education, Norris is excited to build on all the “incredible programmatic advancements” that have been put in place over the past six years, including SSC’s program continuum which provides an entry into arts education at any age, and fosters lifelong engagement with the arts.   “At CAELI I learned that leadership is a set of behaviors that bring people together to move things forward” Norris remarks. “This is what I want to achieve in this new role. We have amazing artist/educators and program leaders and I look forward to bringing them to the same table to increase the momentum and move the organization positively towards our 50 year mark.”

“With both campuses full we will be looking for creative ways of meeting the demands outside of our walls.  It’s an exciting challenge to have,” says Norris.  “I am extremely excited about the next chapter of SSC, and our ability to expand the breadth of our programs in order to reach new populations.”

Group programming, including SSC’s Bay Youth Symphony and Pure Treble and Pure Harmony choruses and all community partnerships with public schools, community centers and social service agencies will also fall under Norris’ scope of responsibility.  “Lorna has a proven track record and has already had an enormous impact on our ability to fulfill our mission by providing access to quality arts education to our community.  I know that she will continue to help SSC thrive and meet its potential in this new role.” says Czerny.

Although her new position will be demanding, Norris still plans to teach voice and perform regularly.  She may be reached at 781-749-7565, ext. 23 or at l.norris@sscmusic.org.

About South Shore Conservatory

South Shore Conservatory, recently recognized as a national model for arts education by the National Guild for Community Arts Education, is celebrating nearly 45 years of enriching the lives of South Shore residents through music and the arts. SSC was founded as a not-for-profit community music school in 1970 and now has two beautiful campuses in Hingham and Duxbury.  Currently serving over 3000 students of all ages and abilities, SSC is the largest community school for the arts in Massachusetts. Students participate in more than 50 diverse programs in music, dance and drama. Through innovative partnerships with social service agencies, SSC’s Creative Arts Therapies department supports the mental, emotional, and physical health of some of our community’s more fragile members. SSC’s Hingham campus is located at One Conservatory Drive, Hingham, 781-749-7565.  SSC’s Duxbury campus is located at the Ellison Center for the Arts, 64 St. George Street, Duxbury, 781-934-2731. South Shore Conservatory is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education.  SSC programs are supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. For more information call us, follow us on Facebook or visit www.sscmusic.org.

South Shore Conservatory admits students and families of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school.