Anne Young

Professor

“There is a saying: By your students you shall be taught. And I think that’s quite true.”

A weekly commute from Whittier to Santa Monica College may seem a little intimidating. But music instructor Anne Young has faced greater challenges than the L.A. freeways. Last summer, she hiked more than 200 miles—from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney—in only three weeks.

“I’m an outdoor enthusiast,” says Anne, who spends all her free time skiing, bicycling and hiking. When she’s not exploring the wilderness or hot-dogging the slopes, she can be found immersed in her life-long love and profession: music. “Making music really is my bag,” says Anne, who has taught recorder classes at SMC since the program’s inception 15 years ago. She’s also a professional clarinet player with Rio Hondo Sinfonie Orchestra, a guest conductor with two regional recorder societies and a free lance musician with various groups all over the Southland.

“I particularly like teaching the recorder classes,” says Anne. “It’s almost an honor to give all the knowledge I have to those I teach and get them to enjoy and love the art of music as much as I do.” And, she adds, “I think that’s a gift I receive back.”

Recorder classes are extremely popular at SMC and are now taught at three levels. But students are not just confined to classroom practice. “Every year for the past 10 years, I’ve taken students to the Renaissance Fair,” says Anne. “I have a great deal of respect for the people who produce the fair. They’re actively concerned that we keep the arts alive.”

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