About me
Merlyn Beard has taught in Waterford Schools for 32 years, sharing his passion for music with students. Mr. Beard is the Director of Orchestras at Waterford Kettering and Waterford Mott High Schools and serves as the Performing Arts Coordinator for Waterford Schools. He taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels as the orchestra program was restored after a twenty-five-year hiatus. Both high schools regularly have ensembles and soloists that earn Superior ratings at MSBOA District and State Festivals. The orchestras across the eastern United States, including Disney World in Orlando, FL, Lexington, KY, and Nashville, TN.
Mr. Beard has been active in the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association and the Michigan chapter of the American String Teachers Association as a member and an officer. Merlyn was selected as the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association Orchestra Teacher of the Year in 2020 and the District 4 Orchestra Teacher of the Year in 2008 and 2019.
Mr. Beard earned his Bachelor of Music Education from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a focus on cello and voice. His Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting is from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.
