Steven Moore

As associate dean of undergraduate studies at the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music, Steven Moore understands the importance of student scholarships. “Talented students should have an opportunity to attend the University of Miami regardless of their financial situation,” he says. “That’s why I support our students by giving to the Frost School and the University through United Way.”

At the Frost School, Moore seeks to develop well-rounded students who can create, communicate, and inspire others through music. “We also want to cultivate their entrepreneurial skills, providing opportunities for them to develop multiple streams of income. Today, a musician might have a performing job but also teach students,  arrange and record music, or focus on music production. Having a range of skills helps keep life interesting.”

Moore has built his own varied career in the music field. He learned the trumpet at an early age and became an award-winning conductor and teacher at the high school and collegiate levels. A strong believer in music literacy, he wrote Play It from the Heart: What You Learn from Music about Success in Life, a book published by the National Association for Music Education.

Moore enjoys conducting and recently led the Frost School’s string chamber orchestra in a concert celebrating Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. “Making music with others has been my life’s passion,” he says.

Moore came to the University in July 2013 with his wife, Kimberly Sena Moore, a music therapist with the Frost School, and their two children. Formerly chair of the Department of Music at the University of Central Missouri, he shares Dean Shelly Berg’s vision of building the very best and most relevant school of music in the country.

“We already have a world-class faculty and student body here,” he says, encouraging other faculty and staff to give back to the University and help continue its forward momentum.

“Helping to fund scholarships is just one of the ways to contribute,” he says. “Many people have a passion for the arts, medicine, or science, for example, and want to support those fields. But I would suggest making an unrestricted donation that can be put to good use wherever the need is the greatest.”

Read about other faculty and staff who support the U.