Phillips Family Fiddlers, Bob Phillips

Brief bio for publicity or introduction. Click for more detailed information.
Bob Phillips, composer, pedagogue, and teacher trainer, is renowned as an innovator in string education. Bob brings a wealth of knowledge and a sense of humor to his clinics, drawn from his 27 years as a public school string teacher in Saline, MI. Bob built a string program with over 700 students that was a national model of excellence in both classical and alternative music. Credited as the “father of fiddling in the schools”, he is a leader in the use of alternative styles and an expert in large group pedagogy. One of today’s leading educational composers and arrangers, his pieces are performed by thousands of string students each year. Bob is a prolific writer authoring many book series including the groundbreaking Fiddlers Philharmonic and String Explorer. His conducting resume includes professional, all-state, and youth orchestras. Currently he serves as string editor for Alfred publishing. Bob and his wife, Pam, continue their music education outreach via their presentations at national and state music conferences as well as their leadership roles in the American String Teachers Association

Brief bio for publicity or introduction. Click for more detailed information.
Pam Phillips is the organizational genius behind many of the string education events and projects undertaken in partnership with her husband, Bob Phillips. If you think of a broad interpretation of arts management, Pam has done it all. This includes booking and producing concerts, camps, trips, teacher workshops, presentations at conferences, producing DVDs, music production with Alfred Publishing and even assisting in the orchestra classroom. For 8 years, she managed the nationally renowned fiddle group, Saline Fiddlers Philharmonic. Pam combines a broad understanding of the classroom and public school atmosphere with a strong business background. She was selected to Chair the 2007 ASTA National Conference in Detroit.

Bob Phillips, (B. 1953) composer, string pedagogue, teacher trainer, editor and conductor, is renowned both as an educator and an innovator in string education. Bob and his wife, Pam, devote their time to creating and presenting new music, workshops and materials for string teachers and students. Traveling internationally and throughout the United States they spend time in schools and universities in both workshop and guest residency formats. With over twenty-eight years experience in a public school classroom, as well as twenty years as a teacher trainer, Bob brings a wealth of knowledge and a sense of humor to his workshops, clinics, and guest conducting.
Bob is co-author of the String Explorer method books and Sight-Read It for Strings as well as the ground breaking series of books Fiddlers Philharmonic, Fiddlers Philharmonic Encore!, Basic Fiddlers Philharmonic: Old-Time Fiddle Tunes, Jazz Philharmonic and Jazz Philharmonic: Second Set, all published by Alfred Publishing. He serves, along with Richard Meyer, as the String Editor for Alfred, guiding the development of the string catalog. As a composer and arranger he has many published for string orchestra. An expert in the use of folk fiddling and jazz in the string orchestra, he taught twenty-seven years in the Saline Area Schools building a string program with over 700 students that is a national model of excellence in both classical and alternative music. Bob’s groups have performed at national and state conferences and consistently achieved top ratings at festivals. He founded the nationally renowned folk-fiddling ensemble, Saline Fiddlers Philharmonic, which under his direction gained an international reputation annually performing more than 75 shows.
Bob graduated from the University of Michigan with both Bachelor and Master Degrees in Music Education, where he studied with Lawrence Hurst, Elizabeth Green and Bob Culver. His students have been successful as string educators, as well as professional performers in both classical and alternative styles. He has been elected "Teacher of the Year" nine times by national, state, and regional associations and has been invited to present clinics in more than thirty states and in eight foreign countries. He has presented clinics at numerous national conferences including the Ohio State University String Teachers Conference, the American String Workshop, the National String Workshop, the Midwest Clinic, the International String Workshop, the International Society of Bassists and the MENC and ASTA National conventions. Bob and Pam founded the Phillips Family Fiddle Camps and the String Alternatives Workshop. Bob has been credited in several national publications with being one of the prime forces in the creation of the alternative styles movement in schools.
Bob has served as conductor for a variety of youth symphonies, honors orchestras and camps including the All-State Orchestra at Interlochen, Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp Orchestras, Jackson Youth Symphonies, Music Youth International Orchestra, Oakland Youth Orchestra, UM Junior Youth Symphony, American String Workshop Orchestra, the MASTA Junior High orchestra, the Kentucky All-State and the Queensland Honour Ensemble Program.
Recognized as Citizens of the Year by the City of Saline for their work in arts education, Bob and Pam were also honored in special ceremonies by both the House and the Senate of the State of Michigan for their work with the Saline Fiddlers.
They have three daughters who have taught at the Phillips Family Fiddle Camps and the Michigan ASTA camps. Two daughters, who are string teachers, also give fiddle clinics in their regions. The third daughter, a math teacher, continues to teach at summer music camps and play bass on the side.

Pam Phillips, (B. 1953) manager, producer, graphic artist, publicist and string educator, plans and produces the string education activities undertaken in partnership with her husband, Bob Phillips. With Bob, the famous composer and teacher, she travels extensively presenting clinics for teachers and working with students. Pam brings a broad understanding of the classroom and public school atmosphere to the construction of the clinics and workshops. This was most helpful when she served as Chair of the 2007 ASTA National Conference. She also coordinates projects and development of new materials. Currently working with promotion and development of Bob’s books and compositions for Alfred Publishing, Pam masterminds many activities. Pam and Bob also consult with various artists concerning school activities.
Pam graduated from the University of Michigan and then ran a successful business for many years. With Mary Kay Cosmetics she reached the level of Team Manager earning the use of three cars. This experience in sales, training and motivation became part of all future musical and educational endeavors. After spending these years in business and raising three musicians, Pam turned her full time energies to the arts.
Pam served as arts administrator for the performing ensemble, Saline Fiddlers Philharmonic in Saline, MI, for the first eight years after the group’s founding. She also served as a substitute music teacher and assisted in program development for the Saline music program. One specialty of Pam’s is communication between the community and the music department. Together with Bob, she founded a new string program in Tecumseh, MI planning advocacy, interface with parents, classroom activities and assembling a ten-year plan for the new program. Pam is responsible for the development, marketing and organization of the Phillips Family Fiddle Camps, which ran successfully from 1997-2000 reaching over 500 students. An earlier collaboration with Barrage resulted in the well-received Siring Alternatives Workshops for teachers.
Pam has assisted in the graphic design and development of the Fiddlers Philharmonic, Jazz Philharmonic, String Alternative and String Explorer series for Alfred Publishing. Pam served as producer, editor, writer and graphic artist for the newly released DVD series, String Clinics to Go: The Art of Recruiting and Getting Started, distributed by Shar Products.
Recognized as Citizens of the Year by the City of Saline for their work in arts education, Bob and Pam were also honored in special ceremonies by both the House and the Senate of the State of Michigan for their work with the Saline Fiddlers.
They have three daughters who have taught at the Phillips Family Fiddle Camps and the Michigan ASTA camps. Two daughters, who are string teachers, also give fiddle clinics in their regions. The third daughter, a math teacher, continues to teach at summer music camps and play bass on the side.