Cheryl E. West
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
conducting Indianapolis Youth Chorale
Cheryl Eisele West is on the faculty of Butler University Jordan College of Fine Arts in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her teaching responsibilities include the areas of music education, choral conducting, studio piano and lyric theatre. Previously, Mrs. West was the director of choral activities at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Indiana for twenty years and was the educational director for the Indiana Music Educators Association for the last five years. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education from Indiana University.
In addition to her responsibilities at Butler, Mrs. West is the director of the ICC Indianapolis Youth Chorale. The choir consists of 100 auditioned singers from the surrounding Indianapolis area who perform and tour both domestically and internationally. Mrs. West’s highlighted career choral honors include concert tours of Europe and Asia, five commissioned choral pieces, and performance honors in the Nation’s Capital, Carnegie Hall, Westminster Cathedral, the Great Wall of China and St. Peters in the Vatican, Rome.
The National Bureau of Education and Research, the leading sponsor of specialized development training seminars for educators in the United States, contracted Mrs. West last year to be a consultant for their organization. She travels throughout the country presenting seminars in choral music to middle and high school music teachers. She has authored two choral resource handbooks through this organization, Current Best Strategies for Strengthening Your School Choral Program and Accelerating Success for your School Choral Music Program.
Mrs. West continues to provide professional service to music educators and school administrators by leading professional development workshops for individual schools and school corporations. She has been in over 200 schools in the Midwest researching best practices of music education and being a true advocate for quality music education for every child.
Mrs. West is a frequent clinician, adjudicator, presenter and guest conductor for All-State honor choirs, festivals, conventions, conferences, schools, community and church choirs. She also arranges music for school choirs and area churches along with directing the Women’s Ensemble, New Song, at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. When not teaching, consulting, per-forming or conducting, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Kent, by traveling, playing golf and boating.
Her professional affiliations include Music Educators National Conference, Indiana Music Educators Association, American Choral Directors Association, Indiana Choral Directors Association, International Association of Jazz Educators and Sigma Alpha Iota music fraternity.
Mrs. West is honored to direct the Indianapolis Youth Chorale. They are an incredible group of young people who strive for excellence and have the passion of music in their hearts!