Dr. Yarbrough with his violin

On April 10, 2025, Dr. David Yarbrough conducted his final concert at ERHS. After 21 years of teaching music survey and orchestra, Dr. Yarbrough is retiring from public school teaching. However, that doesn’t mean he’s packing away his violin forever. The Raider Review interviewed Dr. Yarbrough about his years as a teacher at Eleanor Roosevelt and the next chapter of his life.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

1. For those who don’t know who you are, please state your name, pronouns, and role at Eleanor Roosevelt.
   • My name is Dr. Yarbrough, I use all male pronouns, and I am the orchestra director and music teacher at Roosevelt.
2. How were you introduced to music and teaching?
   • Both of my parents were teachers, but my mother specifically was a music teacher. My parents’ parents were also teachers, so that makes me the third generation of teachers.
3. What made you come to teach at Roosevelt?
   • The program I was working at in Baltimore City got cut. It was a wonderful program where kids could get free private lessons. But, it got cut, and I happened to be at the right place at the right time. I was an adjudicator for the state orchestra festivals, and Roosevelt’s orchestra teacher before me introduced herself at lunch and said she was leaving the school after three or four years and that the admin was looking for someone to replace her. So, I did an interview with them, and the rest is history.
4. What was your first year of teaching like?
   • It was a very challenging year for me, because it was my first time being a classroom teacher. The program in Baltimore City was a Suzuki-based program, and I had years of Suzuki training for that. But, at Roosevelt, I had to learn to do a lot of things by myself. I had to learn these new computer programs, and I had to conduct concerts and arrange fundraisers by myself, when I previously did such work in a group.
5. How have you seen the school evolve since your first year?
   • The school work has become more academically challenging for the kids, which I think the parents love. Unfortunately, this prevents them from doing more electives. During my first years at Roosevelt, schedules would be filled with electives, but now I have freshmen dropping out of orchestra because they learned early on that it would never work.
6. How did you know it was time to retire from teaching?
   • I’m tired. The industry has changed, and you don’t see teachers working for 40 years anymore. Now, they work for 30 years and switch to an entirely different career.
7. How did your students and the staff react to your retirement?
   • I’ve earned a lot of congratulations from the staff, many of whom are looking forward to their own retirements. As for the students, they all want me to stay.
8. What were some of your favorite memories at Roosevelt?
   • I’ve enjoyed taking the kids to festivals and tours. I’ve enjoyed watching them prepare and perform our concerts. Most of all, I’ve just enjoyed seeing the developmental process and how my class brings out the best in the students.
9. What do you plan to do after your retirement?
   • I’m only retiring from this job. I’ll still be playing violin professionally in the Philharmonic, and I have a private studio to give kids private lessons.
10. Is there anything you want to say to your past and current students?
    • I had a good time. I’ve really enjoyed meeting and working with everyone over the years. To my students, it’s been a joy working with you all.