Music Education | Mysite 1

Why Music?

I have a very different story than most. Unlike many proficient musicians in the performance and education sphere, I did not start professional music lessons until I was almost 12 years of age. As a child, I was very athletic and the thought of playing an instrument never even crossed my mind. I remember being about eight or nine and I was sitting in a room with a children's choir that I was apart of at my church, listening to someone try to explain theory and the different types of notes (whole note, half note, quarter note) and being completely confused. I couldn't seem to grasp any of the content and I was very self conscious about my singing voice. Thus, my overall musical experience wasn't exactly enjoyable. Growing up, my family had an old upright Baldwin piano in what was supposed to be the formal dining room back home. My grandfather had bought it with the money he had gotten from selling watermelons. I sat at it one day and all I could see was a challenge... and I wanted to overcome that challenge. I found some old lesson books and started teaching myself, asking anyone who would come over if they knew anything about the piano. Eventually I met with an instructor and would end up taking lessons with her through high school and beyond. I started teaching piano lessons at the age of sixteen and discovered a love for it. Meanwhile, I also picked up the cello which I have since stepped away from due to repetitive strain injury (RSI).

I have studied with professors from over twelve states and five different countries including Canada, Korea, France, and Japan with specialized instruction on the Alexander Technique. I have won top honors at the State Level including many other achievements which include 2x Schumann Music Club of Mobile Scholarship Winner, 4x consecutive 1st place winner in the annual AMTA Sonata Competition, Gulf Coast Young Musicians 1st place winner and Steinway & Sons Award of Excellence, and 1st place winner in the Alabama State Keyboard Festival.

Listed below is completed course work in fulfillment of the Community Music Education minor in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching in the College of Education at Auburn University. Also listed is my completed research project in partial fulfillment of my minor.

CTMU 7596: Psychology of Music

Dystonia Presentation

During the Summer of 2019, I challenged myself and completed a doctoral study after receiving encouragement from both of my professors overseeing my academic journey in music. The course focused on exploring the musical experience from psychological, psycho-acoustic, emotional, anthropological, sociological, and assistance perspectives to better understand how philosophical and practical approaches work in music teaching, learning, and in community settings. An in-depth study of how auditory transduction processes sounds was completed, as well as numerous presentations and assignments on the implications of music playing on the human body. For a copy of my completed assignments, please click the links to the side.

Decibel Meter Project

Music Therapy in the NICU

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Teaching

Private Studio Piano Instructor

2015 - Present

As a Private Studio Piano Instructor, I taught students, ages 5 to graduate school, the importance of a musical education and a love of music that could match the beat of their own rhythm in life. In addition to teaching, my duties also consisted of planning and preparing lessons in relation to individual pupils' needs, acquiring appropriate teaching materials, teaching music theory, aural skills, and practical techniques, and motivating each student to be the best that they could be.

Practicum Research Project

Symbiotic Harmony:
A Critical Analysis of the Relationship Between the Development of the Modern Music Student and Different Pedagogical Strategies Across Educational Disciplines in Music

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For a Copy of my Scope and Sequence:

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CTMU 5110: Children's Music Learning

The class Children's Music Learning is a graduate level class taught from the perspective of different developmental music theorists, and focuses on musical development and learning from birth to childhood. The pedagogical use of solfege is taught, the ability to integrate technology into early childhood lessons is learned, and different instruments such as the ukelele, piano and recorder are studied.

The accomplishment of eight weeks of student music teaching in a school in the community was required for the completion of the class, as well as the requirement to compose one song per week, within selected criteria, for the entire semester.

In addition to the above assignments, a year-long, Music Scope and Sequence Curriculum with the appropriate standards was required to complete as well as the creation of a technology project that demonstrated the ability to integrate technology into early childhood and elementary lessons.

For a Copy of my Musical Compositions: