Robert Chesebro is a well-known educator who has guided a number of Furman students to impressive music careers. As coordinator for woodwind studies, he coaches and conducts woodwind ensembles.
Named the Charles Ezra Daniel Professor of Music in 1991, Chesebro's students have won numerous awards and have excelled in their careers. He has helped more than 60 students win first char in the South Carolina all-state band and guided 33 more to first place in the state level of the Music Teachers National Association Woodwind Competition. One former student, Matthew Hanna, won the International Young Artist Competition in 1995. Many of those students have performed on the biggest stages since leaving Furman. Keith Lockhart is currently the conductor of the Boston Pops. Other students include Elizabeth Crawford, Tod Kerstetter, Charles Stier, Alvin Keitt, Margaret Bungay Steele, Frank Watson, Barry Ellis, Jennifer Myers, Amber Ferenz and Maurita Murphy Meade.
A highly respected conductor and clinician, Chesebro has played principal clarinet in the Greenville Symphony Orchestra and has performed with symphonies in Asheville, N.C., Augusta, Ga., Charleston, Charlotte, Columbia, S.C., Hendersonville, N.C. and Kingsport, Tenn. Along with numerous solo recitals in the Southeast, he has performed with the Heritage Chamber Players and the Galliard Woodwind Quintet. He has also appeared at the International Clarinet Society Clinics.
Chesebro has completed 25 seasons as musical director and conductor of the Carolina Youth Symphony. In addition, he has conducted the Furman University Symphonic Band, the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, the Hendersonville Symphony, the Greenville Little Theater, the Carolina Ballet Theater, the South Carolina Beauty Pageant, and several all-state bands.
As an artist and clinician for the Yamaha Corporation, Chesebro provides woodwind clinics for students with a special "how to practice" routine. Recently, he joined Tod Kerstetter to co-author "The Everyday Virtuoso," a book that provides a structured approach to developing virtuoso technique for advanced high school and college students.
Training
Robert McGinnis, Henry Gulick, Howard Klug, Benard Portnoy, Kalmen Opperman
Indiana University
Hugo Marple
Wisconsin State University
Clark Brody, Robert Marcellus, John Denman, Kjell Inge Stevenson
Independent Study
I love teaching. It is a great feeling of satisfaction to teach a student, at any level, and see that student improve. I believe that if a student competes with himself or herself, then that student will improve quickly because he or she is focusing on self improvement, rather than worrying about competing with other students. My teaching is based on a rigid daily routine which begins with standard exercises followed by solos, etudes, and other repertory.