Junior Maestro

I have been an elementary music teacher for over 20 years. I currently teach full time music to students in Grades K to 6. I have also taught pre-school music and maintain a private piano teaching studio in my home.

I believe that music provides many opportunities for children to learn. I take an integrated approach to music teaching. While the students are learning music skills, they are also learning non-musical skills. For example, anytime a child participates in a musical ensemble, they are gaining skill in listening, cooperation and increasing their attention span. Many of my original songs and activities integrate into classroom curriculum, specifically social studies and science. The particular music activities that I use are a combination of Orff, Kodaly and Dalcroze techniques.

I have had several of my original songs and lesson plans published in the music magazine "Activate". I have had two publications in the Canadian Journal of Music Education about introducing Canadian composers to children. My songbook "Sing a Song of Canada" contains 13 original songs that teach facts about Canadian history, geography and culture.

I have a Bachelor of Music Therapy and Music Education from the University of Kansas. I have a Master of Education from Cambridge College in Massachusetts. I am an Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto in piano performance.

My songs and activities focus on introducing traditional music to students from Kindergarten to Grade 6. This includes classical music composers and traditional folk songs from around the world.