Diana Brown-Hoppe is proud to serve as a music educator in the William Floyd School District, a community she has always known as home. Her musical journey began at William Floyd, where she started learning the violin in third grade. By fifth grade, Diana already knew she wanted to become a music teacher, and by middle school, her teachers encouraged her to tutor fellow orchestra students, an early opportunity that helped nurture Diana’s desire to become a music teacher.

As a young musician, Diana took every opportunity to develop her craft. Representing William Floyd’s music department, she was selected each year to participate in the All-County and Long Island String Festival Association honor orchestras, and in high school, she was accepted to the All-State Conference in Rochester. With the support of scholarships, Diana studied with several private instructors and continued to advance as a violinist. She attended summer programs at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, New York University’s Chamber Music Festival and was a member of the New York Youth Orchestra, and the organization now known as Brookhaven Arts & Music.

Pursuing her dream, Diana studied violin and music in college, earning degrees in music education from Temple University and Stony Brook University. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she received a phone call from her high school orchestra teacher relaying a teaching opportunity at William Floyd. Soon afterward, Diana began her teaching career as the orchestra director at William Paca Middle School. Over the course of her career, she has had the unique opportunity to teach music at every grade level, from kindergarten through 12^th grade. Drawing from each experience, Diana now embraces her role as director of the William Floyd High School Symphonic Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. This year, Diana celebrates her 20^th year as a teacher at William Floyd.

Professionally, Diana has devoted many years of service to the Suffolk County Music Educators’ Association (SCMEA), having served as festival chairperson, assistant vice president, co-vice president for festivals, and membership chairperson. Most recently, she had the honor of guest-conducting a SCMEA Festival Orchestra. Musically, Diana continues to study violin and performs locally with several ensembles.

Apart from her musical endeavors, Diana is an avid runner. She has completed the New York City, Suffolk County, Long Island, Philadelphia and Chicago marathons, and looks forward to adding more to the list. She was fortunate to spend several years sharing her passion for running with the William Floyd girls’ cross country and track teams as an assistant coach. Diana and her husband welcomed their son in 2023 and daughter in 2026. They enjoy family walks with their dog and quality time with their cat.

Diana is deeply honored to be recognized as one of William Floyd’s Outstanding Educators. She considers it a privilege to serve the community in which she grew up and is grateful for the opportunity to teach, learn from, and make music alongside her students. For Diana, returning to William Floyd as an educator has brought her journey full circle, allowing her to share with her students the same joy of music that first inspired her there many years ago.