Vonda Rogers-Cooper and Doretha F. Williams were selected to travel to South Africa this month by the People to People Citizen’s Ambassador Program for Music Education.  They currently are traveling to cities in Johannesburg and Cape Town.  The purpose of the trip is to share their expertise on music education and discuss new approaches and ideas with their counterparts of South Africa.  They will be able to gain insight into the solutions other countries and communities have developed in response to similar problems.

Rogers-Cooper, a flautist and Buchanan Elementary School teacher, has been teaching for 15 years. Her teaching experiences have been geared to Elementary General Music with one year in Middle School Strings. She has a bachelors' degree in K-12 Music Education from Southern University A&M College and has attended various conferences and workshops to expand her musical knowledge. She is a member of Mu Phi Epsilon-Professional Music Fraternity, American Orff-Schulwerk Association, Music Education National Conference (MENC)-Louisiana Music Educators Association and the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra Education Committee. In addition, Rogers-Cooper is currently the Music instructor at Buchanan Elementary School, DeBose Fine Arts Festival Elementary School coordinator, Patriotic Project Choir-Baton Rouge liaison and a veteran People To People Citizen Ambassador to China (December 2009) for Music Education.

Williams has taught music to elementary, middle and high School students for 22 years.  Her teaching experiences involved beginner, intermediate and advanced bands, as well as concert band, jazz band, drum line marching band and choir.  Her education includes a Bachelor of Music in Education from Louisiana State University, a Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from Southern University A & M College and a Master of Music in Conducting from the University of New Orleans.  She is a member of MENC, College Music Society, Louisiana Federation of Teachers and Louisiana Association of Educators.  She currently teaches at Park Forest Middle School.  She held the position as middle school coordinator for the DeBose Fine Arts Festival. Also, she plays saxophone in the Music Ministry of Living Faith Christian Center, which is pastored by Bishop Raymond Johnson.