|
|
|
Kristen Roemer,
Excellence in Teaching Awardee
Philosophy of Teaching
“Promise me you’ll always remember:
You’re braver than you believe,
and stronger than you seem,
and smarter than you think. “
Christopher Robin to Pooh
~ A. A. Milne
Believing in oneself is not always easy. It proves especially difficult for elementary students whose self-concept is just beginning to develop. Teaching music allows me to educate the whole child by encompassing a wide range of life aspects: history, theory, performance, cultural diversity, social interaction, emotion, analysis and scientific thought.
For me, teaching music at the elementary level is not a short-term experience wherein I work with a single group of students for one year and send them on. Rather, it is a 6-year journey from kindergarten through fifth grade during which the students and I face many challenges and rewards together. I see teaching and learning as a journey to find the very objects that will provide the security and strength to face life’s challenges in both academic and social settings. It is my duty to ensure that each of my students has the opportunity to overcome any obstacle and, by experiencing the many aspects of music, has the opportunity to discover all of his or her inherent strengths.
It was the year I had my first class of fifth grade students who had been with me since kindergarten; it was a day that the words of A. A. Milne created a defining moment for me as an educator and all 95 of my fifth grade students. We were setting goals for the semester in order to prepare for the next step in their journey: middle school. The goals were high and the steps to achieve them seemed out of reach. It was during this discussion that my students realized they had been preparing for this transition for 5 years. This is the beauty of teaching music: it is an experiential-based, student-led, discovery-driven method of teaching. Many times the students think we’re merely discussing something off-topic, playing a song on the xylophones, drumming a fun rhythm or singing a silly French song. But the underlying element is that each of the “fun” things we do in music class achieves a curricular goal which connects to the students’ individual development.
Every child is born with an innate connection to the basic elements of music: rhythm and melody. As the composer and music educator Zoltan Kodály stated, education begins “nine months before the birth of the mother.” In other words, the development of a child never begins too early. The musical development of my students begins the first day I meet them in kindergarten and transitions to stages that go beyond the last day I see them six years later. During the years I spend with my students, our daily musical experiences are focused on equipping them with the courage, strength and intelligence to make it through the obstacles and transitions they will encounter throughout their education and, ideally, their lives.
As a music educator I approach teaching as a collection of partnerships. Intelligence, bravery, strength and skill are the type of bonds that hold partnerships together. I have a lifetime of experiences and knowledge compared to my elementary-level students, yet the understanding that I have about my subject is just that: my understanding. Students bring with them various experiences and fears that continually shape their understanding of themselves and of the world around them. Each step my students take in their journey and each choice they make shapes who they are as individuals and who they are as learners. Who they become as learners determines their future successes and how they will contribute to their own community.
As my students grow I maintain the hopes, dreams and expectations that I have for them. I strive for them to become independent and creative thinkers, purposeful problem solvers, and self- confident in the value that they can add to the world. I believe that the most creative and adaptive students will be future leaders, and will emanate from the classrooms of educators who model perseverance, collaboration and creativity. Educational
/ Professional Background
University Degrees
- Bachelor of Music Education
2000 -2004, Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Master of Arts in Music Education, Kodály and Orff Emphasis
2007- present University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota
Accreditations and Training
- 2008 - Orff Levels I, II, and Ill Certification - University of St. Thomas
- 2006 - Kodály Levels I, II and Ill Certification, Indiana University
- 2004 - EC-12 General Music Teacher Certificate - Texas
- 2004 - K-12 Choral-General Music Teacher Certificate - Indiana
Teaching Experience
Founder, Music Instructor
2003- present - Smart Start Music
- Camp Allegrow: A summer music camp for children ages 4 to 8 years.
I develop and implement daily instruction in creative movement and folk dance, singing, barred instruments, recorders, composition and folk music, all of which culminates in a final performance for an audience.
Education Committee Member
2005-present - Plano Symphony Orchestra
- I am a representative for classroom music educators and I am joined by other community representatives such as local business owners, Rotary Club presidents and school district fine arts administrators. We plan fundraising events, advise the PS0 in designing educational concerts for elementary students as well as serve as liaisons to the community in support of the PS0 and it’s events.
Music Specialist
2004-present - Memorial Elementary School in Plano ISD
- I instruct kindergarten through fifth grade students so that they are engaged in activities where they sing a wide variety of folk, seasonal and patriotic music, derive basic rhythmic and melodic music elements from the songs and listening selections, read music independently, create their own compositions consisting of concepts presented, explore musical elements through both folk dance and creative movement and demonstrate their musical understandings by performing for others. Both Kodály and Orff methodologies are the basis for the curriculum.
- My leadership positions at Memorial include:
- After-School Clubs Coordinator (2008-present)
- Mentor Liaison for New Teachers (2007-present)
- Specials Team Leader (2006-present)
- Choir Director, Memorial 4th and 5th Choir (2004-present)
- Fine Arts Night Committee Chair (2004-present)
- Multi-Cultural Night Committee Chair (2004-present)
Kindermusik Educator
2001 - 2004 Musical Beginnings Westfield, Indiana
- Kindermusik is early childhood music instruction for children ages birth to 7
years and additionally provides parent education in foundations of earning for
babies, preschoolers and toddlers from a musically-based cognitive approach.
Office Assistant
2001 -2003 - Indianapolis Children’s Choir Indianapolis, Indiana
- Duties included management of incoming requests from ICC Directors Henry
Lack and Ruth Dyer; set-up and tear-down of rehearsal spaces; organization of
choral octavos and maintaining the choral library.
Awards & Honors
- 2007 - Student Fellowship - University of St. Thomas
- 2006 - Special Recognition in "Plano Star Courier" for Veteran’s Day Choral Performance
- 2005 - Special Recognition in "Plano Star Courier for School-Wide attendance at Plano Symphony Orchestras Family Symphony performance of Peter and the Walt
- 2004 - Beginning Teacher of the Year at Memorial Elementary
- 2003 - Sigma Alpha Iota Talent Award
- 2000 - 2004 - Academic Scholarship - Butler University
Professional Memberships
- Texas Music Educators Association
- Organization of American Kodály Educators Association
- Kodály Educators of Texas
- American Crff-Schulwerk Association
- North Texas AOSA
|
|
