Music holds a different significance for everyone, but for substitute Orchestra Director Mr. Timothy Morrow, music is everywhere, and in everything. Morrow has been a substitute for Ms. Brittney Milicia since February 25, 2021, and will continue to do so until the last week of the 2021-2022 school year. He teaches three classes, both concert and chamber orchestra, and the music theory course. 

Morrow’s love for music can be traced back to his childhood, when he began playing the piano at the age of four. He made the decision to pursue music in his sophomore year of high school, which was no shock to his loved ones. 

“Music was always my thing. For my piano lessons, I would practice hours a day,” Morrow says. He describes the audition process when pursuing music professionally to be highly demanding and often degrading. However, these difficulties did not cause Morrow to abandon his passion for the arts. He says, “It’s utter hell, they tell you [that] you suck or you’re not good enough, or ‘that was good,’ or ‘okay next.’ It’s not for the faint of heart, that’s for sure, but you really gotta know you want to do music.” 

Currently, Morrow plays the piano and cello, and he sings in several choirs outside of Edison High. He attended Westminster College as a piano major, where he sang in the college’s choir for four years. This choir’s repertoire varied in music styles, from early renaissance to baroque and pop. Additionally, Morrow sings in his church’s choir as well as the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir. The Philadelphia Symphonic Choir is an audition choir that has provided Morrow with numerous opportunities to perform in a formal setting. This choir performs with a symphonic orchestra and has showcased pieces such as Mozart’s requiems and opera pieces. 

The arts have had a meaningful impact on Morrow’s life.

“In every single way, in every step, it impacts me,” Morrow said. “To me, art is everywhere. A lot of people say it’s art versus science, but I see art in science, and science in art.” He sees music in situations where few others would, such as when he is cooking or hearing the noise of his steps as he walks. Morrow’s life is surrounded by and filled with music. When he is not singing or playing, he enjoys watching movies and has recently grown an interest in curling. 

Morrow had never foreseen himself teaching at Edison High, but when his best friend and former college roommate, Mr. Joshua Lisner, encouraged him to take the job as the choir’s accompanist, he could not find a reason not to. “The past four months of teaching here have been the most wild four months of my life,” he remarks. Morrow aspires to become a conductor professionally, which he is going to graduate school for. However, he leaves the possibility of him coming back to the education industry afterward, saying that he is “more than open to the idea.”