Education:

**** *.*. ***** *********, Boston University

**** ***. ***** ********* *-12 Instrumental and vocal instruction Nicholls

State University

PRESENT POSITION:

Bush Elementary School-Dallas Independent School District (2017)

Elementary music specialist. Responsibilities include daily musical instruction for approximately 700 students Prekindergarten–fifth grade and periodic musical performances and musicals, coordinates campus-wide travel and field experiences, grade level chair, campus-wide coach for student and faculty social and emotional learning initiatives. Other responsibilities include “Little voices” for selected students in first and second grade, “Varsity choir” for selected students in grades third–fifth. Additional ensembles include “Drumming club” for students with social emotional learning needs.

University of North Texas (2015–2017)

Teaching Fellow/Teaching assistant within the Division of music education. Responsibilities include daily instruction of pre-service educators in elementary music techniques (MUED 1130). Other responsibilities include assessment and data management of student review process for selected courses in the division of music education.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

o2005-2015-Instructor of music grades K-12 Instrumental, vocal and general music-Lafourche Parish-Thibodaux, Louisiana

o2004- 2005- Director of Bands – Mulberry Elementary School and Greenwood Middle School, Houma, Louisiana

o2002-2004 – Director of Bands-West Thibodaux Middle School-Thibodaux, Louisiana

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

o Guest Speaker for school-wide professional development session-August 2010: Presentation on music, the brain and learning with references to “Whole brain teaching” W.S. Lafargue and South Thibodaux Elementary Schools’ faculty and administration. Topics included neural processing and development and the resulting affects on student disposition, cognition and achievement.

o Guest Speaker for district-wide professional development for teachers of music- Music and the Brain (2011) Developing Vertical Alignment in the Music Curriculum (2013)

o Guest Lecturer at Nicholls state University-Fall 2010-spring/summer 2013 (as needed): presented research on music, cognitive development and instructional design for selected classes and seminars within the College of Education and Department of Music.

o Special Guest presenter at LERA convention-Spring 2011: Presented research paper entitled “The Brain and Learning via Musical Vectors” for annual Louisiana Educational Research Association conference.

o Guest Presenter at Texas A&M University-Commerce-Spring 2013: presented a lecture series outlining research on music, cognitive development, instructional design, advocacy and implications for pre-service music educators.

o Research presentation Mountain Lake Colloquium national meeting May 2017: visual processing of spatial components in music reading.

o Professional development presentation for southern region of Louisiana music educators February 2020: Disability in music education.

o Professional development presentation for Dallas Independent School District music educators: Disability in music education.

o Professional development presentation G.H. W. Bush Elementary staff: SEL, self-care, and responding to trauma in the classroom.

AREAS OF INTEREST - TEACHING AND RESEARCH:

oCritical disability theory in university music programs

oCritical disability theory in education: Performance of disability and accommodations

oApplication of cognitive neuroscience as a method for meeting the needs

of diverse groups of learners.

oThe developing brain as a guide for curriculum and instruction.

oNeuromusicology-improving music teaching through neuroscience.

oCurrently researching the neurological perception of pitch level

oPhonemic Masking-relationship of spoken language to reading fluency in

text and music.

GRANTS

o$3, 000 Novo Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropies grant (2018) for drumming to support student emotional needs

o$1, 700 Junior League of Dallas grant (2019) for Recorder Karate program.

o$2,000 Donors Chose Grant for nutrition and at-home learning support: Care packages for needy families in the community.

o$6, 200 Novo Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropies grant (2021) Community drumline “play it forward”

o$2, 000 Junior League of Dallas grant (2021) for a classroom music library: Storybooks and music.

o2003- $3000 grant for purchase of percussion instruments

o2010- $1700 grant to start a world music program for grades 3 and 4.

o2012-$5000 grant to expand world music program to include a second campus.

o2013-selected as “Teacher of the Year” at South Thibodaux Elementary School.

o2013-$811 grant of recording hardware from donorschoose.org

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATES:

oTexas Educator Certificate-music EC–12

oOrff Schulwerk Certification-Level I (Summer 2013)

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