I have taught (Music and one year of 2nd grade) in the Beaverton School District for 11 years. In 2013-14, I was teaching half time at Chehalem and half time at McKay. But beginning in the fall of 2014, I have been privileged to be the full time Music Specialist at Chehalem! I really love it here. The staff and students are the best!
So, how did I become a music teacher? I attended George Fox University to earn my first degree -- in Music Education. While there I toured with the a cappella choir and also a small ensemble of singers. I sang first soprano, and when we would have contests to see how high and how low we could sing, I hit the highest note! It is hard to do that now, because I would have to vocalize a lot every day to keep a wide range!
I have taught music for most of my career, but I also have a Masters Degree in Elementary Education, so some years I have been assigned to teach classrooms of Kindergarten, 1st, or 2nd grade students. In addition to my jobs in public schools, I also worked for 13 years at a specialized school for dyslexic children, where I taught music to all the students. I also taught them Writing, Reading, and Math (which by the way is a subject that is very closely related to Music!)
I love producing musicals, programs, and performances. I can't even count how many I've done so far! When my own kids were younger, I spent about 8 years working with the children's choir at church, sometimes with 70 kids at a time performing musicals. My husband, David, is an artist, so he would design the sets, and I taught the children the music and the choreography. So it has been a natural thing for me to use the same skills to produce musicals and programs in schools! Since I started working in Beaverton 11 years ago, I have had a goal to create a positive performance experience for every student every year. Most years, we have been able to make that happen!
When I am not busy at school, I enjoy spending time with my grown children and my granddaughter, Aubrey Noelle, born in November 2013.
So, how did I become a music teacher? I attended George Fox University to earn my first degree -- in Music Education. While there I toured with the a cappella choir and also a small ensemble of singers. I sang first soprano, and when we would have contests to see how high and how low we could sing, I hit the highest note! It is hard to do that now, because I would have to vocalize a lot every day to keep a wide range!
I have taught music for most of my career, but I also have a Masters Degree in Elementary Education, so some years I have been assigned to teach classrooms of Kindergarten, 1st, or 2nd grade students. In addition to my jobs in public schools, I also worked for 13 years at a specialized school for dyslexic children, where I taught music to all the students. I also taught them Writing, Reading, and Math (which by the way is a subject that is very closely related to Music!)
I love producing musicals, programs, and performances. I can't even count how many I've done so far! When my own kids were younger, I spent about 8 years working with the children's choir at church, sometimes with 70 kids at a time performing musicals. My husband, David, is an artist, so he would design the sets, and I taught the children the music and the choreography. So it has been a natural thing for me to use the same skills to produce musicals and programs in schools! Since I started working in Beaverton 11 years ago, I have had a goal to create a positive performance experience for every student every year. Most years, we have been able to make that happen!
When I am not busy at school, I enjoy spending time with my grown children and my granddaughter, Aubrey Noelle, born in November 2013.