Get to know me

What role did music and the arts play in your childhood growing up?

Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember! My mom

was my first musical influence, singing songs with me from the time I

was born. A long-time church member liked to remind me that I used to

“coo” along with the church choir/congregation hymns when I was just a

baby. My elementary music teacher, Mrs. Kleis, was magical in my eyes;

she made you feel like Mary Poppins was teaching your class every day!

I begged my parents to allow me to take piano lessons in elementary

school. I used to try to teach myself when I played at my best friend’s

house, and I was finally able to begin lessons in 3 rd grade with an

exacting, but kind teacher, Mrs. Prunty. I participated in just about every

music activity offered throughout my schooling (choir, swing choir,

madrigal, band, jazz band, solo/ensemble contest, etc.). My 5 th grade

beginning band teacher, Mr. Bertrand, instructed me throughout my

musical education. He started me on alto saxophone, taught me again in

9 th -11 th grades, and throughout my 4.5 years of college! I had four

different high school choir teachers, but my senior year teacher, Mr.

Ewing, really encouraged me to start thinking about music as a career.

What is your earliest memory of music/art?

My earliest memory of music is singing with my mom in my parents’ full-

sized van to pass the time on trips to visit my grandma or aunt and uncle

– childhood songs, Christmas songs and cassette albums (The

Chipmunks, Bing Crosby, Gene Autry), and my favorite Bruce “Sting-

sting’s” (aka Springsteen) Born in the U.S.A. album. I also have vivid

memories of singing and dancing to my The Muppets take Manhattan

record and improvising my own songs on Saturday evenings.

At what point did you decide that you wanted to pursue a career

educating students in music?

I was fortunate to have excellent music teachers throughout my K-12

and college education. Those instructors instilled a love of music in me

that I hoped to pass on to my students each year. I started college as an

accounting major with a minor in vocal music performance. My high

school band and choir teachers kept telling me that I needed to become

a music teacher from my senior year of high school until I finally

switched my major to music education at the start of my junior year of

college.

What was your college music experience like?

I attended Buena Vista University as an accounting major with a minor in

vocal music performance. Paula Keeler was my voice/choir/music

education professor, Jerry Bertrand was my band/music education

professor, and David Klee was my jazz band/music education professor.

My professors were extremely supportive, and we received a lot of one-

on-one help/feedback as there were a small number of music majors at

BVU. My favorite part of my college experience was meeting and making

life-long friends and the music tours we performed! The jazz band went

to Hawaii. Our choir took several regional tours, but our big trip was to

London and Paris, the highlight of which was singing in Notre Dame

Cathedral as a featured quartet/soloist.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far in your music

education career?

Flexibility and adaptability are two important aspects of a music

education career that I am still learning. Each day is different! You never

know who will be absent from class or a performance, where students

might struggle, or when an extra brain-break is needed. Music educators

learn to roll with the punches and adapt on the fly!

In what ways have you been involved in, or supported, arts in the Fort

Dodge community?

I support several community organizations, attend events for my

students, and explore opportunities and activities offered in our

community.

Tell us about some of your music/arts related accomplishments.

My students make me the most proud! Each year is a new adventure for

us. They learn new music and techniques for each concert, but also

many other skills such as: teamwork, responsibility, self-motivation/discipline, and analysis/evaluation skills. Seeing students achieve their goals (musical and otherwise) makes me the happiest. Our students are extremely busy and pulled in a million different directions on a daily basis. They amaze me with their commitment to better

themselves, our school, and our community, and I am proud of their

growth and accomplishments throughout each school year!

Who is your biggest role model?

My mom is my biggest role model. She taught high school math for 37

years, setting high expectations for her students, but always making

math interesting and fun! She has always been a model of family values

and is/was our biggest support for anything my family faced.

What are your long term music/music education goals for you

program?

My students and I are working on making sure that they are literate

musicians, meaning that they can read music (not just follow the words

on the page) and create expressive, artistic musical moments within

each piece of music. Ultimately we are preparing our students to be

lifelong positive members of society. In order to achieve success at

FDSH, it takes ALL of us: students, families, community members,

teachers, administrators, and support staff working together. It takes a

village, and we cannot do it alone!

How do you spend your free time?

I LOVE spending time with my nephews, Keegan and Cooper, and my

family! I also enjoy reading, baking/cooking, traveling, and knitting.

What would you tell one of your students considering music education

as their college major?

Music education is one of the most rewarding, yet most challenging

professions! Make sure to research how a profession in music education

is different than being a student. Ask lots of questions and find role

models/mentors to help you along the way; education is a profession

that cannot be done alone.