Conductor and educator Scott Arakawa is the newly appointed Artistic Director and Conductor of the Greater Rockwall Youth Symphony, the conductor of the Dallas Asian American Youth Orchestra’s Concert Strings Orchestra. His previous positions include Director of Orchestras at Vines High School in Plano, Texas, Conductor of the Long Beach City College Orchestra, the Wildwood Institute of the Arts Intermediate Summer Orchestra, and the Southern California Youth Philharmonic’s Camerata Orchestra. He has been a Guest Conductor with the Southern California Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Doctors Symphony, the Irvine Valley College Wind Symphony, Four Seasons La Primavera Youth Orchestra, and Honor Orchestras from the Placentia-Yorba Linda and Capistrano Unified School Districts.

As an educator, Mr. Arakawa has spent more than 25 years as an Instrumental Music Director and taught students from elementary to high school. Ensembles under his direction have consistently earned Sweepstakes ratings at UIL along with “Best in Class” and “Outstanding Performance” awards at other adjudicated contests. Prior to his appointment at Vines, he was the Associate Director of Orchestras at Eaton High School, Director of Instrumental Music at Orange High School, and the Associate Director of Orchestras at Valencia High School where the program expanded to more than 200 students during his tenure. He has also held teaching positions in the Los Alamitos, Irvine, and Capistrano Unified School Districts which are recognized as some of the finest districts for music education in the state of California.

As a clinician and adjudicator, Mr. Arakawa has worked with numerous orchestras and bands throughout North Texas and Southern California. He has served as Co-Founder and Conductor of the Saddleback Church School of Music and the Arts Youth Orchestra and Coordinator of the Elementary Instrumental Music Program in Los Alamitos. He has been selected to participate in various conducting clinics including the International Conducting Workshop and Festival, the Texas Conductor’s Workshop, The Conducting Institute’s Spring Clinic, and multiple TODA Summer Convention Workshop.

Mr. Arakawa is a graduate of the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University Long Beach with a Masters in Instrumental Conducting and a Bachelors of Music in Music Education. He is a member of the American String Teachers Association, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Orchestra Directors Association, and Southern California School Band and Orchestra Association.