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Music Educator

Creative, nurturing, and student-focused music teacher, with a background in performance, early childhood education, Reggio Emilia educational philosophy and arts education. Dedicated to student-centered, culturally responsive pedagogy, in which children are the arbiters of their own learning.

“Our task, regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible. No one can do more.” - Loris Malaguzzi

EDUCATION

Gordon Institute of Music Learning

At the University of Maryland

Professional Development Levels Course

Elementary General Music Level I

Aug 2023

California State University Long Beach

California Single Subject Teaching Credential, Music

Jul 2023

Renaissance High School for the Arts
with Maria Dowell

Student Teaching 

Long Beach Unified School District

Jan 2023 - Jun 2023

Oropeza Elementary School, Birney Elementary School, and Emerson Parkside Academy

with Meghan Carungcong

Student Teaching

Long Beach Unified School District

Jan 2023 - Jun 2023

UCLA Extensions

Post-Baccalaureate Child Development Coursework

Jul 2017- Jun 2018

La Musica Lirica

Summer Study Abroad

Summer 2012

Lawrence University

Conservatory of Music

Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance

with additional coursework in choral/general music education

Jun 2012

Assisi Performing Arts Festival

Summer Study Abroad

Summer 2010

Siena Summer Music Festival

Summer Study Abroad

Summer 2010

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Vocal Music Teacher

Long Beach Unified School District

Long Beach, CA

August 2023 - Present

  • ​​Create music curriculum for general music classes, serving children grades tk - 5th, including developmentally appropriate and intentionally scaffolded activities and games to develop foundational musical skills

  • Create a choral music curriculum, selecting and teaching diverse, culturally responsive and sustaining repertoire through which students can continue to develop foundational musical skills, reflect on socioemotional themes, and critically examine systems and culture.

  • Organize concerts and community events to connect children to their community

Choir Teacher

Compton Conservatory of Music

Compton, CA    

January 2023 - Present

  • Create culturally responsive curriculum for elementary and middle school children’s choir, high school choir, and music theory classes

  • Prepare students for performances of choral works 

  • Coach students on language diction, musicality, and diverse pedagogical techniques for the voice including classical choral singing, gospel singing, and pop

  • Program concert repertoire, considering messaging, diverse styles, and challenging music skills and technique

  • Construct age-appropriate music games and activities to promote music literacy, creativity through composition and songwriting, rhythmic and melodic sight reading and many other musical skills

Private Music Teacher

(Voice, Piano, Ukulele and Guitar, Theory and Composition)

Ali Allegre Music Atelier

Los Angeles, CA

December 2018 - Present

  • Create student-centered curriculum for music students ages 2 - adult, through private and in small-group instruction

  • Demonstrate and explain methodology and techniques, assigning repertoire and warm-ups

  • Construct age-appropriate music games and practice challenges to promote performance skills, music literacy, composition and songwriting, rhythmic and melodic sight reading and many other musical skills in cross-curricular connection to language arts and story-telling skills for readers and pre-readers, mathematics, problem solving and investigative exploration, and physical education

  • Utilize a variety of world instruments, music recording technologies, musical movement, yoga and mindfulness, and play

  • Prepare teen and adult voice students for performances and recordings, including coaching in arias, art songs, musical theater, spirituals, choral works, gospel singing, language diction, musicality, and pedagogical techniques for the voice

  • Provide engaging children’s and community music classes for birthday parties and special events hosted by businesses and non-profit organizations

  • Manage day-to-day business administrative duty of running a private studio, such as billing, and writing and collecting contracts

Arts Enrichment Teacher

Barefoot Atelier

Los Angeles, CA

2020 - 2022

  • Generate and market curriculum for Music, Music Theater, Social Justice and Music, and STEAM enrichment courses for early elementary-aged children

  • Design music lessons incorporating music history, theory and composition concepts, and musical performance through songs, books, games, art, dance, and culturally responsive curriculum

  • Introduce children to diverse forms of music theater including pantomime, musicals, opera, ballet, West African story-telling, and Kabuki

  • Provoke leadership and innovation, and a strong sense of justice, equity, global citizenship, curiosity about history, and a desire to participate in and enact positive social change through a cross-curricular Social Justice and Music enrichment program for young children

  • Lead Friday musical Shabbat

Music Camp Director

Music Meets the Wild - Barefoot Atelier

Los Angeles, CA

April 2018, June 2018, April 2019, June 2019, April 2021

  • Direct music camp, creating integrative music and art curriculum for children ages 2 - 7 years old, teaching science and social studies through music, art, and cooking

  • Invite guest artists and STEAM enrichment programs to provide a fun and engaging camp experience for all ages

  • Introduce music theory concepts through age-appropriate and engaging methods

  • Implement music and movement curriculum, including musical yoga and dance

  • Fulfill administrative duties, delegating responsibilities, communicating with parents, and selecting materials within a school's budget

Kindergarten Teacher

Barefoot Atelier

Los Angeles, CA

2020 - 2021

  • Create student-centered emergent curriculum and content which meets both state and national common core standards for Kindergarten education

  • Facilitate daily morning meetings and reflection meetings in accordance with "Responsive Classroom" techniques

  • Integrate literacy, math, humanities, science, technology, engineering, and arts, physical education into explorations and morning meetings

  • Create a language arts curriculum which has explored such topics as storytelling and writing, songwriting and poetry, phonics, world languages, American Sign Language, theater and drama, non-fiction writing and self-documentation

  • Explore mathematical concepts through music, cooking, map-making, measurement of physical environment including people and animals, and physical movement and play

  • Integrate SEL curriculum, which incorporates "cool tools," animal care, conflict resolution, development of strong positive self-image, mindfulness, social justice, and artistic self-expression

  • Construct humanities curriculum which is culturally responsive, reflects current events, and exposes children to cultures outside of their own through interaction with culture bearers, literacy, music, art, and technology.

  • Integrate scientific study, math, and engineering investigations through provocation-rich environment, which encourages questioning and curiosity

  • Perform music, develop children's musical performance programs, and engage children and virtually engage families in musical religious and community celebrations such as weekly Musical Shabbat, monthly Havdalah, the Channukah Sing-A-Long, and the Passover Musical Play and Seder Celebration

Early Childhood Educator

Barefoot Atelier

Los Angeles, CA

August 2017 - August 2020

  • Manage classroom as lead teacher and provide childcare for children ages 2 to 6 years old

  • Organize environment and materials as provocations to inspire creativity, wonder and curiosity, following a Reggio Emilia-inspired approach and the school's educational philosophy, in which the environment functions as a teacher.

  • Facilitate daily morning meetings and reflection meetings in accordance with "Responsive Classroom" techniques

  • Observe, research, and document explorations and project work, reflecting and extending with children

  • Lead daily musical gatherings for the entire school, including a daily community welcome and weekly Shabbat and Havdalah

  • Direct children’s musical and theatrical performances for the community

  • Assemble portfolios and present student work for art shows and community exhibits

Music Specialist

JCCNV: Beth El Early Childhood Learning Center

Alexandria, VA

August 2015 - July 2017

  • Planned and implemented music lessons for each age group in the school, ages 18 months to 5 years.

  • Utilized children’s and folk music to teach music concepts such as dynamics, tempo, and pitch. 

  • Utilized music as a vehicle for teaching children mathematical skills, such as counting and simple addition and subtraction, foreign languages such as Hebrew and Spanish, history, language skills, such as storytelling and vocabulary, geography and world cultures, and about the Jewish holidays.

Art Specialist

JCCNV: Beth El Early Childhood Learning Center

Alexandria, VA

August 2016 - July 2017

  • Consulted with fellow educators and mentored new teachers to implement constructivist rather than didactic educational methodology, and promote experiential learning throughout the school

  •  Introduced a new open-ended material or art form every few weeks to children, applying the art form or material to each class’s current exploration.

  • Compiled a “library” of materials throughout the school, inspiring “provocations” throughout the school environment, including the art room, classrooms, the “cozy room” or “safe space,” closets.

  • Displayed children's artwork along with documentation of the artistic process in order to beautify the school environment and allow children the opportunity to reflect upon their work and that of their peers, and to provide insight for parents and touring prospective families

Early Childhood Educator

JCCNV: Beth El Early Childhood Learning Center

Alexandria, VA

August 2014 - July 2017

  • Implemented Reggio Emilia philosophy of education in classroom settings, ages 18 months – 5 years leading explorations and providing provocations for holistic, child-centered learning experiences. 

  • Planned and organized daily circle time discussions while focusing on basic early childhood education concepts, such as the calendar and the alphabet. 

  • Created routines and build life skills, such as potty training, to empower self-sufficient toddlers and young children. 

  • Displayed biweekly documentation on school’s display boards and write daily website documentation. 

  • Presented documentation of children’s work in annual Reggio Emilia Exhibit. 

  • Compiled individual portfolios, charting progress and performance of each individual child.

Vocalist: Soprano Section Leader and Soloist

Wesley United Methodist Church of Vienna, VA

Vienna, VA

August 2014 - December 2016

  • Practiced with the choir before services and perform with choir during services. 

  • Performed solos for church services and interfaith services.

Private Teacher, Tutor, and Childcare Provider

Laurel, MD and Baltimore, MD

October 2013 – August 2014

  • Provided childcare for children, infant through nine years old.

  • In-home preschool classroom environment for toddler - pre-k children, constructing curriculum and lesson plans utilizing, manipulative play, large motor play, experiential learning, music and art to teach literacy, math, science and Spanish language. 

  • Evaluated and charted student progress. 

  • Implemented effective classroom management strategies for young children such as redirection and positive framing and reinforcement

  • Taught pre-k through nine-year-old beginning piano and guitar lessons

LifeBand Music Director *

Saint John’s Catholic Church of Columbia, Maryland 

Columbia, MD

September 2013 – May 2014

  • Directed adolescent contemporary choir and band and planned weekly rehearsals in collaboration with instrumentalists, additional musicians, priests and Youth Minister, and taught repertoire performed for the bi-monthly youth mass. 

  • Auditioned new members for the choir and selected fresh, diverse repertoire, including Christian contemporary, gospel, Christian indie, African American spirituals, contemporary folk, and rock music, building the youth music program, and helping to increase mass attendance until priests elected to convert the biweekly youth mass into a weekly evening mass, not solely focused on youth. 

  • Performed solos and selected soloists amongst choir members. 

  • Arranged and composed African American spirituals and gospel songs for the band to perform. 

  • Diversified repertoire to represent the diverse congregation, partnering with Hispanic choir, selecting appropriate repertoire for cultural heritage masses, and advocating more culturally integrated masses.

​*Volunteer Position, Completed and passed STAND training for this position

Choir Section Leader, Soloist

First Presbyterian Church of Neenah 

Neenah, Wisconsin

August 2011 – June 2012

  • Led sectionals, utilizing leadership skills and musical knowledge to teach music to choir members of all ages and skill levels. 

  • Implemented schedules for learning and teaching music to choir members, fulfilling the supervising director’s requirements and meeting his goals for the choir and church community. 

  • Performed solo repertoire for full congregation during services.

Choir Section Leader, Music Scholar, Soloist

First Congregational United Church of Christ

Appleton, WI

2009 – 2011

  • Provided trustworthy and dependable leadership of  congregants and volunteer choir members.

  • Prepared choral and solo repertoire to the satisfaction of the Director of Music Ministries.

ADDITIONAL TEACHER TRAINING

Fieldwork and student teaching at Buena Park Middle School with Dylan Locke, assisting him with building a middle school choral music program. California Music Educators Association Conference training Attended Professional Development visiting day at St. John's Episcopal Preschool to receive further training in Reggio Emilia approach, observe educators and students, and attend workshop entitled, “Reggio 101: The Fundamentals and Pedagogy of the Reggio Emilia Approach” Attended The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s annual Jewish Early Childhood Education Conference, taking such workshops as “Gaining Perspective through Music” and “The Relationship Between Teacher and their Pedagogista” Completed tutorial with nationally acclaimed vocal pedagogue, Kenneth W. Bozeman in Vocal Pedagogy, participating in pedagogic research on male passaggio events Taught private voice lessons to instrumentalists enrolled in Music Education program at Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music Completed student teaching practicum with Wilson Middle School choral/general music classroom in Appleton, WI Completed student teaching practicum with McKinley Elementary School teacher Jennifer Griffith in a general music classroom in Appleton, WI Attended ArtsBridge conference in Southern California, and workshop on Reading in Motion, curriculum created to teach children how to read through music Completed student teaching practicum and private tutoring with Appleton North High School teacher Linda Snell in an English Language Learning (ELL) classroom Completed student teaching practicum with Edison Elementary School general music classroom in Appleton, WI Participated in Dalrcoze Eurhythmics workshop elementary, middle, and high school classrooms Taught lessons in kindergarten drumming class at Lawrence Academy of Music multicultural music, applying Dalcroze strategies

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