With Highly-Qualified Licenses in Music for all grades in both FL and NJ, and a Master of Arts Degree in Secondary Education, my specialties are vocal and general music for elementary and middle school students and urban education for special needs learners.
Over a broad career in the performing arts and education, I’ve accumulated the equivalent of 7 years of full-time experience in teaching music and the arts: 1 year of full-time teaching in Sebastian, FL, plus 3 years of teaching K-8th grade music in NJ schools, 2 years of teaching PreK-K music in NYC, and 3 years of teaching digital arts at Full Sail University in Florida. In addition, I have concurrently taught private music lessons in piano and voice for 6 years.
My expertise includes: directing school concerts and plays, accompanying singers on the piano and guitar, creating a pedagogically-sound curriculum, differentiating instruction for special needs students, and focusing all students on creative tasks. My aim is to provide the best possible education in music for each and every student. In my classroom, students experience a wide range of cultural and historical genres, with research-based pedagogy as inspired by Dalcroze Eurhythmics, Kodály, and Orff exercises on xylophones and rhythmic instruments. Students develop social confidence, literacy skills, and cultural awareness while enjoying instrumental, vocal, written, and movement activities. My age- and seasonally-appropriate curriculum includes the musical genres of classical, folk, Motown, Broadway, Jazz, and Rock.
In 2010, I began teaching music as a consultant at West Side Montessori School in NYC. I also taught Music Together parent-child classes for Music Play Studios in Hoboken, NJ, and the surrounding areas. Music Together is an internationally recognized early childhood music program for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and the adults who love them. It focuses on research-based, developmentally appropriate early childhood music curriculum that strongly emphasizes and facilitates adult involvement.For an article about how young children move through a wide variety of activities (building their confidence in linguistic, locomotor, listening, and teamwork skills) read my article: Music – How We Love Thee.
Incidentally, I’m also an avid videographer and website designer; and enjoy capturing the talents of my students for their self-assessments and future enjoyment.