I began my teaching in the summer of 2012 where I volunteered at the East Meadow summer music program. Working there, I helped out the low brass sections of the middle school and high school bands and I also taught trombone lessons.
I have continued my experience during student teaching in the spring of 2014. I worked with two great teachers from the Central Dauphin Public Schools. Kris Kimmel helped me develop a rapport with the middle school students. He also helped with my rehearsal techniques, and making efficient use of the limited time we had to teach. Later that semester I began my elementary general music placement with Cindy Mohn. She helped hone my skills as a general music teacher and shared some valuable resources that helped me manage and plan for the five weekly classes. In addition to teaching elementary general music and chorus I learned how to teach chime choir.
After I graduated Penn State I decided to continue my education with a masters degree in music performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. At Illinois, I was a teaching assistant with the Marching Illini. I assisted with conducting and helping marchers learn new drill each week for football games. Being a tubist and former member of a Big Ten college marching band, I work closely with the sousaphone section on drill and with sound production.
In 2016, I worked with the Walt Whitman Wildcat Marching Band in South Huntington New York. I ran sectionals and helped to develop the students into strong musicians. During this time I also worked for Paul Effman Music Service working in parochial schools across Long Island and New York City. I was the music director in two school, Good Shepherd Catholic Academy in Brooklyn and Martin De Porres in Elmont. At Good Shepherd I taught many band instruments and violin to 1st though 8th grade students. In Martin De Porres I taught chorus to middle school students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Part of my other responsibilities with the company include working as an assistant director and substitute. I have learned a great deal through these teaching opportunities especially by constantly improving myself as an educator and being extremely flexible with schedules and teaching.
In 2017 I began to teach at the Queens School of Inquiry a middle/high school in Fresh Meadows, New York. Due to the budget of many New York City schools finding/obtaining instruments for students is quite difficult if the school does not have a collection already in use. Since the school had a limited supply of violins and guitars I had to figure out creative ways to get instruments and keep students engaged. My goal was to begin a concert band modern band and orchestra in that school after my first year. During that initial year I joined an organization called Little Kids Rock which provided instructional material and instruments to begin a modern band. I was also able to contact city schools that were closing the following year to get used band and orchestra instruments. Over the course of that initial year I acquired almost 200 instruments for students to use across the seven grades. The second year I was able to implement full instrumental ensembles across all of the classes. In the spring of 2019 I took the high school band to Lehman College to participate in the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Major Ensemble Festival. The students enjoyed the experience especially the tour of Lehman College right before their performance.
Currently I teach elementary band in the Pelham Union Free School District. I teach rotating lesson groups of fourth and fifth grade students in Colonial, Siwanoy, Hutchinson and Prospect Hill Elementary schools. I really enjoy teaching these students and look forward to many more years of teaching elementary!
Image Credit: Dr. Linda Thornton
