Music Explorations: Dazzling Dynamics!

Hello! My name is Janelle and I am a K-12 music educator with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education. Music has been a passion of mine since before I can remember; I was always the "music kid" growing up, heavily involved in choir, band, and other ensembles, and it brings me immense joy to be able to share my passions with future generations. Currently, my favorite subjects to teach are elementary general music lessons, solfege, and music theory! My professional experience includes more than a decade working for community choirs with students ages 5-18, as well as more recent experience teaching both general elementary lessons and high school choir in public school settings. My primary instrument is voice, I have about 8 years of experience playing flute and piano, and I have received training on a variety of other instruments as well.

When it comes to education, my philosophy is that joy and curiosity are at the center of learning! Regardless of age or skill level, my first priority is for students to build a love and enthusiasm for music, and technical skillsets will grow much more naturally with that foundation. To foster this development, I create lessons built on play, relationship-building, engaging musical repertoire, and student voice. Within the context of these lessons, I introduce and reinforce developmentally appropriate foundational music skills and encourage students to engage in musical explorations that challenge them to grow and build on their pre-existing knowledge and skillsets.

Another core value I hold in my teaching practice is centering diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. In my classroom, this includes practices such as implementing Universal Design for Learning to ensure that at the foundation, my courses are built to meet the needs of as many students as possible. It also includes representing a variety of identities in my curriculum, with particular care and consideration for marginalized identities including, but not limited to, Black, Indigenous, and people of color, disabled people, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Additionally, it involves culturally responsive teaching, responding to individual students' needs and identities, and working with with students and families individually to meet the needs of every member of our community. I welcome collaboration and feedback from families to continuously adapt and build on my teaching practice to ensure that it is an equitable and accessible learning environment for all.

Finally, here are some fun facts about me! I'm a bit of a math nerd and love all kinds of puzzles. My favorite color is purple and I like to cook, go for walks with friends, and take care of my houseplants. Oh, and I love elephants - you might be able to spot one or two during some of my music lessons :)