I am a professional oboe player who has recently
decided to teach in the classroom. I am very excited for this change in
career path. I work in both Cowan and Sewanee Elementary Schools
teaching general music for PreKindergarten through 5th grade.
It is my belief that the purpose of music education is to teach basic
elements of music starting at a young age, in order to develop a musical
knowledge foundation on which to build throughout students lives. I
will do this by placing students with their peers in ensembles that play
and sing music focused on keeping a steady beat while reading melodic
and rhythmic material in standard musical notation.
During this process, students will be exposed to music from a variety of
cultures and develop a basic understanding of how music has developed
over time. I value the teaching of diverse cultures because this
knowledge helps build tolerance and understanding across the variety of
people our country is blessed with. This understanding is a valuable
skill for relationship building of any kind. Through work in ensembles,
students will practice the development of skills such as patience, self
control, kindness and tolerance while learning alongside students with a
variety of musical levels.
