I spent the last 6 years building a new music program in a Title 1 School of Denver Public Schools. When I started, there hadn't been a music program in over 10 years. It has been a roller coaster of challenges and triumphs, but it has all been worth it to look back on all of the special performances, sweet classroom moments, and student/family relationships that have come out of that time. I just had my second baby, and I'll be (mostly) staying home with my kids this school year. I will continue to direct a musical at my DPS school one morning a week, as well as direct the K-1 training choir of the Boulder Children's Chorale.
I hope that other music teachers will find helpful ideas and resources here. If nothing else, I will come back to this blog as a resource for myself when I return to teaching full-time!
The short version of a longer, messier story.
I had spent a few summers in Wyoming after high school and before graduate school, and absolutely loved the natural beauty and community I felt there. After graduating with my Master's in Music Education, I took a job in Northwest Wyoming. I taught K-5 music, assisted the 6th grade band class, and directed the middle school musical that year.
After attending a choral workshop in NYC and falling in love with the city, I applied for and accepted a job at a charter school in Harlem. I had no idea how much I didn't know. This was a hard year.
The following school year I started a new job at a charter school in Washington Heights. I taught there for two school years, and this is when I started to find my stride. I learned a lot through coaching and observing seasoned teachers at this school.
It was hard to leave NYC, but I made the move for a boyfriend who is now my husband and father of my two children. I took several part-time teaching jobs that school year as I scouted out the teaching opportunities on Colorado's front range.
I interviewed just a few days after the world shut down in March of 2020. The principal gave me a tour of the school on her iPhone. I had a feeling it was a place I could be for awhile.
Six school years, five musicals, and two children later, I am transitioning to very part-time teaching so I can soak up these early years with my toddler and newborn. Excited to be at the start of this next chapter.
A few ideas that show up in almost everything I write here.
I only teach songs that I know my students will love. If it doesn't sound like real music, I don't teach it.
I want my students actively engaged in music making the majority of the time. I try to be intentional about planning activities that are fun, but also develop musical ability.
Performances create excitement and pride in the program. Process is important too, but performances give meaning to what we do in class.
New ideas posted weekly.