Seasons of Joy: Teddy Bear Tea Picnic

Hello! My name is Ms. Annette, and I am so excited to be part of the Outschool learning community! I have been teaching for over 25 years, and have a teaching certification for preschool through high school music. While pursuing my Bachelor of Music, I majored in music education with a voice and theater concentration and minored in English. My graduate school studies were  in early childhood and elementary education. I homeschooled my own children for 16 years and wrote my Waldorf-inspired Seasons of Joy curriculum during that time. I also teach science through afterschool and summer camp programs, and am a licensed Kindermusik educator, certified in Feierabend's Conversational Solfege and First Steps in Music, and a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), as well as a certified Vocal First Aider.

I have worked as a teaching artist for years in a variety of educational situations, including teaching voice and piano, working with choirs and group voice lessons, teaching drama, musical theater, and classes that look at the arts in history and literature. I do audition coaching and love leading musical storytimes. Through homeschool co-ops, I have led book clubs, choirs, history classes, opera classes, art and music appreciation, science classes, and theater productions. These are all classes I hope to bring to Outschool! 

I believe learning happens best when we learn together. I do extensive lesson planning and curriculum development but also leave space for the learners to bring their own interests, knowledge, and passion into the virtual classroom. I have experience in Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, and Montessori education, and I like to bring all those things together when I teach. With my experience and planning and the students' excitement, prior knowledge, and goals, we work to construct classes and curriculum together.

I am a mother of six-- four still at home and two grown and flown!-- and a huge fan of fantasy and dystopian literature, as well as mythology and fairy tales. I'm also a fan of Disney movies and music. I try every year to take a trip to Broadway or Disney. They are my happy places. I love performing onstage, but also like climbing the scaffolding, hanging lights, and working the lightboard.