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Introductions

Hello!  Welcome to our discussion board!  I am eagerly anticipating our two days together! 

A bit about me: I am currently the classroom music teacher at Russian Jack Elementary.  In addition to teaching children for 13 years, I have taught music & social studies classes for teachers through ASDSA, the Kennedy Center partnership at the AK Center for the Performing Arts and the Alaska State Music Educators' Conference.  I believe music and social studies tell the stories that have shaped us as people, and as a country.

As a way to start our class community - please introduce yourself, your current teaching assignment and what you are most looking forward to from this class. 

Looking forward to working with you on May 24 and 25!

~Elizabeth

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Replies

  • I am retired from teaching PE and K each for 20 years. I have taught in a childrens theatre, The Harwich Jr. Theatre for many years.  Folk dance has always been a fav.  I helped do some of the OLD PE cirr. in folk dance.

  • My name is Geep Baranow. One year to go until I qualify for retirement!!~ Really?  I teach music in Eagle River and am lucky enough to teach less than a mile from my childhood home. The cultural and cross-discipline connections I hope to make in this class are what I look forward to most. A different perspective is always a gift to be cherished.

  • My name is Suzy Spackman.  I currently teach music at Eagle Academy Charter School in Eagle River.  I want to incorporate a HUGE folk dance unit in my curriculum next year and I'm hoping to get some great ideas from this class.  Ready, set, go!

  • I may have posted this already but I do't see it so I am going to try again. :)

    My name is Leah Mullenbach and I am a third grade teacher at Airport Heights Elementary School.  I think kids innately enjoy dancing if we provide a safe place for them to try new things and make mistakes.  I think showing young students actual dances provides enough structure that most kids will feel safe enough to give it a try.  I'm already looking forward to teaching my students to waltz and dance properly in squares.

  • For many years I've worn two hats -- one as an Anchorage Symphony musician, and the other as a middle school teacher at Mirror Lake Middle School. I've taught mostly language arts but will be teaching both language arts and social studies next year. This particular class looked too good to pass up, and I look forward to integrating music, dance, language and history!

  • I'm Deb Roberts. I have taught Classroom Music for 14 years and have taught band, in concert with Classroom Music, for 10 years while in Mesa, AZ. I've been in AK for 4 years now and love it here. I'm looking forward to integrating more history into my music classroom and picking up a couple of more information to utilize during instruction.

  • Hi, 

    Hello from Corinne McVee. I have been a grant writer for the Anchorage School District since 2005. Before that, I taught music for 24 years. I spend most of my time in 6th grade orchestra and band, with shorter stints in classroom music , jr. high band, and 7th grade social studies. I attended ASD schools from Kindergarten through 12th grade, so I guess I'm a part of ASD history!

    I collect Alaska Statehood memorabilia.  That'e because I was born in Anchorage in 1959, just a few weeks after Alaska became the 49th state. My most prized artifact is my 49-star U.S. flag. 

     I wrote the ASD's Teaching American History grant (with an incredible team of educators and partners too numerous to list here) that supports ANUAH. It's thrilling to see the ANUAH grant in action!

  • I'm Ynez slaymaker teach 6th grade Social Studies and Spanish Immersion at Mirror Lake MS. I like the idea of using music and dance as a primary source in teaching Social Studies. Think it's a great way to get the kids engaged in class.
  • Hi there.  I am already enjoying this class.

    I am a JH and HS Choral teacher at Grace Christian School.  Although I've only been in the classroom 13 years, I've been involved with Music Education for over 30 years.

    In 2004, I moved from Atlanta, GA to Anchorage with my husband and son.  I love Alaska, but also still love visiting the South. 

    I've always looked at music more from performance and analysis viewpoint.  I'm already enjoying more of the Humanities perspective on this.  I never listened to Vivaldi's Summer and realized until today that it's in minor.  Where I look at summer as a tremendous rest and change of pace from the school months, I imagine there may have been other thoughts for Vivaldi to have used both harmonic and natural minor in his depiction of summer.

    So much to learn, so little time!

    Delighted and enjoying the learning process.

    Margaret Brown

  • Good morning. Ready to go. :)

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