Ralph T. Jackson teaches strings to approximately 200 Kindergarten through 6th grade students at Bridle Path Elementary and
Montgomery Elementary Schools in the North Penn School District. In addition to teaching Suzuki violin classes to children and
parents beginning in Kindergarten and traditional string lessons to children in grades three through six, Mr. Jackson also conducts
4 orchestras, including a beginner orchestra, more than125 members of the Bridle Path/Montgomery Orchestra, over 60
auditioned members of the Advanced Orchestra, and an auditioned chamber ensemble, the award winning Bridle
Path/Montgomery Select String Ensemble.
Mr. Jackson has presented sessions on teaching elementary orchestra at the Midwest Clinic International Band & Orchestra
Conference and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) annual conference. He sits on the board of ArCoNet
(The Arts and Community network), and was the founder and director of the award winning former North Penn Youth Orchestra.
Mr. Jackson has served as conductor of the Elite Strings Community Orchestra at the Doylestown Community Conservatory in
Doylestown, Pa., and orchestra director for the Dali String Quartet Summer Chamber Camp and Festival in Doylestown, Pa., and
has also served as guest conductor for string festivals and honors orchestras.
Mr. Jackson is a recipient of the “Citation of Excellence” award from the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) for
his work at the elementary level. He was nominated for the Grammy Music Educator Award, finishing as a quarter-finalist in the
top 1% of among 30,000 music educators who were nominated, and was named as a finalist in the Ovation Award presented by
the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. He has been interviewed by Instrumentalist Magazine and has been featured twice on North
Penn’s Finest television program.
He has collaborated with internationally renowned composers in commissioning works for the Bridle Path/Montgomery
orchestras which have been enthusiastically received and published worldwide, including: Danza Latina, by Brian Balmages, Ice
Sculptures, by Brian Balmages, China, My Heart and Longing, by Steven Melillo, Possibilities, by Brian Balmages, Alaskan
Nights, by Vance Zuehlsdorff, and Voices in the Shadows, by Brian Balmages.
Mr. Jackson is a graduate of West Chester University, and maintains memberships in the National Association for Music
Education (NAfME), the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA), the American String Teachers Association
(ASTA), the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA), and has served as an adjudicator of instrumental ensembles with the
National Judges Association (NJA).