Permian orchestra director

A prodigal Odessa resident has returned to his old high school to direct the Permian orchestra. And he's shooting for the stars.

"We're really striving to keep the energy going and energize things to put the program back on the musical landscape," Todd Berridge said.

Berridge, who came to Odessa from Flower Mound High, said Permian already had a solid tradition of developing music that he hopes to strengthen as the new director.

He said ECISD's fine arts director Randy Talley asked him to come take a look at the school during the summer, so he came to visit with his wife, Jessica, who now teaches first grade at Milam Elementary.

"She actually was offered a job first," Berridge said, adding that "coming to Permian seemed like a good fit."

Talley said Berridge's move back is exciting for the district.

"We like to welcome our own students back to become great teachers for us," Talley said.

Berridge attended Permian in the late '80s, graduating in 1990. He played in the orchestra from 1988-'90 and served as a founding member of the Satin Strings, an ensemble group that has played at the last three presidential inaugurations.

"It seems extremely strange to be directing them after being a member of Satin Strings," Berridge said. He said he believes his time as a student in the Permian orchestra has helped him understand more of the culture and history of the program, as well as what it's capable of achieving.

"They'll ask ‘Mr. Berridge, what did you do when you were in high school?' " Berridge said. "I think I can relate to them because of this background."

Students say they like what they see so far.

"I think it is a great honor he came back," senior Victoria Ibanez said. Others point to his time as a student.

"He was once in our shoes and knows all about it," senior Alison Langston said.

The history of success Berridge references goes beyond simply Satin Strings performances. He said the orchestra has performed at the Midwest Clinic, a prestigious band and orchestra conference in Chicago drawing performers from such distant locations as Australia and China.

In addition, four Texas Music Educators Association presidents have come from Permian. Another has come from Odessa High.

Berridge said he wants to focus this year on tuning, helping students learn to hear and evaluate sounds. Between sophomore and junior years, he said ears develop a greater ability to listen and understand how sounds intertwine. He said he also wants to emphasize sight-reading and how to put a symphony together, hopefully to prepare for both a Midwest Clinic performance and if invited, another inauguration for January 2009.

Berridge said junior high orchestra programs at Bonham, Nimitz and Hood are "bursting at the seams," and he assists those program directors in order to help recruit for high school and strengthen the junior high programs by making sure techniques are taught consistently.

Berridge said he decided to become a teacher while he was a student under Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame director Charles Nail.

Berridge went to Texas Tech University and earned a degree in music education. He started out teaching choir and band in Vernon near Wichita Falls for his first two years. He then took his first strings assignment in Denton before moving to Flower Mound High for the three years until the move back to Odessa.

Berridge's passion for students is evident in the fact he posted a resignation letter to Flower Mound students and parents on a district website.

"This opportunity (at Permian) gives me the chance to grow professionally, and we will only be a few miles from my family. I've so enjoyed working with the quality students at Flower Mound HS ... I do hope our paths cross in the future."

He said he's already been impressed with what he sees in the Permian students.

"They're extremely passionate and want orchestra to succeed," Berridge said. "These West Texas kids are phenomenal."

ORCHESTRA SECTIONS

>> Strings (example: violin).

>> Brass (example: trumpet).

>> Woodwinds (example: flute).

>> Sometimes percussion (example: cymbals).