Scott Laird is Fine Arts Chair and Instructor of Music and has been a member of NCSSM’s faculty since August 2001. He conducts the NCSSM-Durham Orchestra and supports all arts activities and instructors for the Durham and Morganton campuses. Laird is the recipient of the 2022 ASTA President’s Award for Service, 2019 UNC Board of Governors Excellence in Teaching Award, 2018 NCSSM Outreach Award, 2017 ASTA Elizabeth A. H. Green Award, and the NC Symphony’s 2016 Maxine Swalin Award. He has served on the Board of Directors for The American String Teachers Association and El Sistema USA. His blog, “Thoughts of a String Educator,” enjoys broad readership in the music education community. Additionally, Laird serves as an educational specialist for D’Addario Bowed Strings, Coda Bows, and NS Design Electric Violins.