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Championing musical excellence and community engagement, Dr. Susan Barnes empowers musicians through three decades of leadership as a conductor, educator, and performer, guiding diverse ensembles and mentoring future artists and scholars in inclusive, lifelong music-making.
Conductor, Educator, Musician, Mentor
Conductor, Educator, Musician, Mentor
Dr. Susan Barnes is a distinguished conductor, educator, and violinist based in Southern California. She holds a Master of Arts in Teaching, Learning, and Technology from Point Loma Nazarene University and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting and Historical Performance Practices from Claremont Graduate University.
Since founding the string program in the Rialto Unified School District in 1996, Dr. Barnes has been a leading voice in music education. She currently directs the choral and orchestral programs at W. A. Carter High School, where her ensembles consistently earn top honors at regional concerts and festivals. Dedicated to preparing the next generation of music educators, she serves on the faculty of California State University, San Bernardino’s College of Education, supervising student teachers and providing professional development in string pedagogy for elementary and secondary music teachers.
In 2025, Dr. Barnes joined the San Bernardino Symphony as artistic director and conductor of the newly established Overture Orchestra, advancing the Symphony’s mission to bring high-quality symphonic experiences to the young people of San Bernardino County.
An active performer, Dr. Barnes appears regularly as a freelance violinist and violist with orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout Southern California and is a founding member of the Fisher String Quartet in San Diego. Her performance credits include appearances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, with the Jackie Evancho Touring Orchestra, the Orchestra Collective of Orange County, and the Claremont Symphony. She also performed in the West Coast premiere of Voiceless Mass, the 2022 Pulitzer Prize–winning composition by Raven Chacon.
A sought-after conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, Dr. Barnes is frequently invited to collaborate with youth, community, and professional ensembles across the nation. Her enduring commitment to musical excellence and education continues to inspire and elevate musicians and audiences alike.
Carter High School Orchestra
Carter High School Chamber Choir
On stage after conducting the San Bernardino County Honor Orchestra. Susan enjoys directing several school, church and community ensembles throughout Southern California. She appears regularly as a guest conductor for county and local district music festivals and is called to work as a clinician with local professional associations.
Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra Director
Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra Director
Dr. Barnes directs The Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra at the First Church of the Nazarene in Ontario, California, where she prepares and performs weekly choral anthems and special music. She is the Associate Director for Worship Music, collaboratively programming music and weekly service schedules for Sunday morning worship.
Christmas Cantata - 2017
One Small Child Arr. Tom Fettke
Walk Worthy by Joseph Martin
Sunday Morning Anthem
Educator
Educator
Since 2004, Susan Barnes has taught choir and orchestra at Wilmer Amina Carter High School in Rialto, California. She especially enjoys taking her ensembles to participate in festival and community performances. Susan believes music is an integral part of education; it helps students make connections, think critically, and form judgements about personal and peer performances. Music naturally engages students and easily speaks to all learning modes.
W. A. Carter High School
Choir and Orchestra
One last rehearsal with the Carter High School Choir before performing for the 2025 commencement ceremony.
While on tour in Southern California, Dr. Barnes took her students to work with Professor Lori Marie Rios at the College of the Canyons.
Santa Clarita, California
April, 2025
Dr. Barnes and the Carter High School Chamber Choir perform Festival Sanctus by John Leavitt in a choral festival.
April 2025
Dr. Barnes taught at Ben F. Kolb Middle School from 1996 - 2004, directing an award-winning middle school marching band and color guard program.
Rialto, California
CHS String Orchestra - Deep Sea Fandango
by Deborah Baker Monday
SPRING TOUR - 2023
And we're off!
Visiting Balboa Park - San Diego
Carter High School String Orchestra - California Center for the Arts
Dr. Barnes takes her advanced music ensembles on annual tours around California. They represent Carter High School in state and regional festivals, community concerts, and educational exchanges. They have the opportunity to attend professional concerts and engage in musical and cultural activities. In this picture, the CHS String Orchestra students were on tour in San Diego and they attended a concert featuring the Queen's Cartoonists, an eclectic group of musicians from New York who perform the live soundtrack to cartoons and media on a screen. https://www.thequeenscartoonists.com/
Taking some time to rehearse on Shelter Island before our dinner cruise around the bay.
Visiting Point Loma Nazarene University
Working with Dr. Mansfield, music professor from PLNU
Choir Festival, University of Redlands November 2021
Virtual Spring Music Program May 2021
Dr. Barnes did not let the pandemic stop her from teaching and facilitating music performance. She and her students produced and full-length virtual spring program. Each student learned their part with the help of practice videos and recordings. They recorded themselves playing their part in their respective homes and Dr. Barnes compiled the videos to create an ensemble effect. It was a diligent collaborative effort for which Dr. Barnes and her Carter High School students from 2020 - 2021 are incredibly proud.
Musician
Musician
Susan works as a freelance musician, clinician, adjudicator, coach, and guest conductor around Southern California .
Raven Chacon was the first Native American to win the Pulitzer Prize for his composition, Voiceless Mass. Susan performed with musicians of the Orchestra Collective of Orange County and the Scripps College Music Department in Claremont, California to present the west coast premiere of Chacon's Voiceless Mass in October 2022.
Jackie Evancho
with Dr. Barnes, violin
Palm Desert, California
Fischer String Quartet, violin
San Diego, California
Music Clinic, brass instruments
Ontario, California
Wedding String Quartet, viola
Rancho Cucamonga, California
Orchestra Collective of Orange County, violin
Brea, California
Wedding Musician, violin
McCall, Idaho
Eastern Sierra Symphony, violin
Mammoth Lakes, California
Wedding Quartet, violin
Brundage Mountain, Idaho
Susan Barnes, Violin Recital
Susan Barnes, Special Music
Mentor
Mentor
Mentor
Mentor
Susan Barnes serves as a mentor teacher and has invited several students into her classroom to observe and practice music teaching strategies. Dr. Peijun Xu used her time in Dr. Barnes' classroom to study bowing techniques in young violinists. She documented her research in her master's thesis, Bowing for the Beginning Violin Student: A Review of Literature and Suggestions for Group and Individual Instruction.
Publications
Publications
Susan Barnes has contributed to the research of Dr. Lee Jenkins in the area of assessment and continuous improvement by implementing innovative testing strategies in her classroom. Through the use of dichotomous rubrics and random performance tests, Dr. Barnes empowers her students to take responsibility for their learning and become intrinsically motivated to achieve continual progress in their musical studies. See her Dichotomous Rubric for Small Group Music Performance on page 24 of Dr. Lee Jenkins' book, How to Create a Perfect School.
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