Music Integrations

I have been teaching music in schools since 1999. I started teaching privately in 1991. I have been teaching in Illinois public schools since 2007. I am currently a 2nd - 8th grade orchestra teacher. I have also taught Kindergarten - 3rd grade general music in Illinois. Prior to teaching in Illinois, I taught Kindergarten - 5th grade general music and beginning strings in the Saint Louis suburbs for seven years. For one year, I taught Kindergarten - 8th grade general music in a Missouri private school. I have ten years of experience as a private piano instructor. I also have experience teaching private violin and preschool music. I have had the opportunity to teach summer classes for an urban arts center as well as establishing a summer orchestra day camp.

I believe it is important for an educator to adapt their teaching style to meet the needs of their students. Children are diverse in their learning styles and experiences which means not all students will have the same level of success with the same teaching model, philosophy or approach. With that being said, there are some areas that I connect with more than others. The work in my Master's level thesis was based on the theories of Jean Piaget. I particularly believe in the Piaget concepts of children learning through the sensory motor approach and self awareness. I also like the aspects of children having control over their learning through hands on experiences, projects and self expression which are a part of the Reggio philosophy. I am very intrigued by the Orff- Schulwerk method. I like the fact that this method gets children directly involved in music making and movement. I believe the introduction of music skills through keyboard instruments as utilized in the Orff method is invaluable. When learning string instruments, a child must have excellent listening skills to be successful. I believe, the Suzuki method leads to these strong listening skills that are necessary for success in the area of string education. I strongly believe in the Suzuki philosophy that every child's potential is unlimited.

My lesson plan "The Life And Times Of Beethoven" was chosen by the Saint Louis Symphony for use in the teacher guide for their 2013-2014 educational concert series.

I received a Bachelor of Music degree with majors in music education and piano pedagogy from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and graduated with honors from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas where I earned a Master of Music degree with a major in piano pedagogy. I have received post graduate training in general education, music education and string pedagogy from Colorado State University Pueblo, Maryville University in Saint Louis, Missouri, Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia and VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois.

I have a strong interest in integrating other subject areas into music and vice versa. It is my hope that some of my resources will be useful to educators who teach subjects other than music. I also have a strong interest in telling stories through music. Again, I hope this will lead to teachers of other subject areas, such as reading/ literature and history, finding some of my resources useful in their teaching,