A professor of music in the School of Music and Dance, Idit Shner’s primary focus is one-one-on student teaching.

She also coaches and directs chamber music ensembles. Shner is known nationwide both as a performer and for the first-rate studio culture she has developed at the University of Oregon.

Shner crosses musical boundaries with ease and is as comfortable and competent in the classical world as in jazz. Shner is respected for her ability to diagnose technical problems, offer concise remedies and motivate students. In the words of one student, “Idit is an awesome teacher. Her arsenal of learning devices for the abstract concepts of saxophone technique is limitless. If you can't grasp it one way, she'll have five other ways to get to the same goal … .”

In recognition of her achievement and expertise in the areas of studio teaching of saxophone technique and coaching of chamber music ensembles, Idit Shner is a recipient of a 2015 Thomas F. Herman Award for Excellence in Pedagogy.

Return to 2015 Distinguished Teaching Awards page.