Anne Cleino Witt is Instructor of Music Education and Strings at the University of Alabama School of Music. She teaches Music Education courses and String Methods for undergraduate BSE majors, and String Literature and String Pedagogy for undergraduate performance majors.  She founded the Strings in Schools program (Tuscaloosa City Schools,) where over 1,000 students have learned to play string instruments in daily classes since 2005. The program has won accolades from ASTA and various national orchestra competitions.   Dr. Witt continues to be very active in the public schools, serving as a frequent guest teacher for middle and high school classes, organizer of chamber groups, and a mentor to the five string teachers.

Witt earned the BSE degree from The University of Alabama, and M.M. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Texas at Austin.  She taught middle school and high school orchestra and strings for 14 years in Austin, Texas, and was Director of the University of Texas String Project for two years. She taught strings and music education at the University of Texas at Arlington for eight years, and served as president of the Texas Orchestra Directors Association and president of the American String Teachers Association.

Dr. Witt has presented educational sessions in many states and at national conferences of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), the National Association for Music Education (NafME), the Alabama Music Educators Association (AMEA) and at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. Her presentations include “student tested” teaching strategies on such topics as creative classroom management, communication, strategies for getting a job, motivation, and teaching rhythm and intonation to string players.

Dr. Witt is a frequent guest conductor for festival and all-state orchestras, including the recent Alabama Orchestra MPA and the ASTA National Orchestra Festival.  Her book A Rhythm a Week is widely used by school string and band classes and private teachers.  She was a professional cellist in the Austin Symphony for 20 years, and continues to play professionally in a string quartet named 4 Strings Attached.

Dr. Witt also teaches private cello lessons through the UA Community Music School.  She is the founder and teacher of the Adult Strings program and the Adult Strings Weekend for amateur string players.

She has received the Music Educator of the Year and the Special Arts Award from the Druid Arts Council, and was listed in Who’s Who in America, 51st edition