I get to spend my days with the rock stars of tomorrow. Lucky me!!
09/01/2025
I had a little extra time so I made this play along video:
Golden, KPDH Huntrix, Modern Band Play Along Video for Education For educational purposes only. I do not own the rights to the music, all rights to the original creators. This video is for students to play along on guitar ...
08/20/2025
The most amazing things are in store for youth choir this year. Don’t wait - register and be part of an epic year!!
Oregon Repertory Singers Founded in 1974, The Oregon Repertory Singers is a premier choral arts non-profit organization that performs music both rare and recognizable, encompassing a multitude of eras, languages, and musical styles.
08/20/2025
Who’s totally into K-pop Demon Hunters but don’t know much Korean language or culture? Check this out!
K-pop Demon Hunters explained by a Korean teacher 😈🧑🏫 K-pop Demon Hunters is full of Korean culture and language details you might’ve missed. It’s even more enjoyable when you know what’s behind them — from ever...
07/13/2025
One aspect of how I spent last week in self-funded professional development.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMCWGJsO7cI/?igsh=MXRpd3BnZGVmazNvdw==
Listen, I know my strengths and weaknesses and I know there are SSSSOOOOOO many music teachers out there who are both better teachers and better musicians than I am. And tomorrow I get to flex my strengths in ways that will hopefully help an entire district of music teachers and their students.
I’m excited!
So today a mom messaged me thanking me for convincing their kid to join choir, that middle school has been a really difficult social time for the kids and choir is their place; their “soft landing.” That after festival today the kid called mom and sang for her and…
Another kid with a 504 that allows for it knew I would be in the building today and stayed there to do their school work and take a little nap and…
The growth these kids have made from the beginning of the year to what they accomplished at festival today and…
Getting to see kids shine and jump and their beaming faces at their talent show…
I’ve said it before but
10/28/2024
This photo couldn’t make the insta post because it kept cutting off the face of the amazing Mrs. C who has continuously been one of Northside’s biggest supporters in every way and I am SO very lucky to get to work with her and the rest of this fabulous team!
(I poured a bit of my heart out on a minute ago… heartfelt post-concert reflection over there. Just another over here.)
10/27/2024
Love these kids!!!
10/24/2024
Check us out on the news this morning and at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts this weekend!!!
'Homegrown': A concert with Oregon Repertory Singers Music lovers in the area are invited to experience a unique choral experience this weekend.
10/20/2024
Real talk: I was NEVER going to be a teacher when I grew up. Like, NO. My parents were both public school teachers so I heard all the drama, and politics, and whatever it was they needed to process to deal with the job. I was sure it was NOT for me.
In high school, my piano teacher tried to recruit me to be her assistant teacher and I almost completely refused but eventually did help in her “lab.” Then I ended up teaching dance while I was an undergrad, for fun. And then again, my husband and I taught community dance class together … for fun. And it was fun. Sometimes I’d not want to have to spend an evening teaching, but once I began - I loved it. Then I had the epiphany. I actually love teaching!
Today was exactly like one of those days that convinced me to do the bonkers thing of going back to school to become a teacher. I woke up not wanting to. I wanted rest. I wanted boring. I wanted a break. But then I went to the space where teacher is what I am and my energy revved up. My joy meter turned gOregon Repertory Singersife flourished.
Not every day is like this, sure. But when I realized that a type of WORK could bring joy and be rejuvenating, I knew I’d found my place.
I’m SO grateful to get to work with the amazing kids and staff, of the Oregon Repertory Singers Youth Choirs.
Today a second grade class was sight reading a rhythm to a decently quick backing track. They found the pulse just fine. They read the eighth notes exactly right when isolated. But EVERY time I asked them to read the full phrase they turned the eighth notes into quarter notes. I ALMOST just gave up and moved on, but decided instead to slow down the tempo and it worked. They nailed it. So I gradually increased the tempo and they were SO excited they exceeded the original tempo and kept asking for faster.
Sometimes while teaching it can strangely be easy to forget the rehearsal strategies were know are useful and use ourselves. I remembered smaller chunks, scanning the whole thing, finding the patterns, isolating the tricky parts… but almost forgot to use a BASIC great strategy like slower tempo.
They were SO proud of their work today, despite what is usually a 5-minute warm-up turning into a 20 minute lesson in rehearsal strategies and perseverance.