By Carolyn Downie, Music Teacher
A little bit about me… Ms. Carolyn to preschool and kindergarten and Mrs. Downie to grade one and two
I was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. The music and multicultural experience of growing up in Hawaii have influenced me musically and with the Aloha spirit. After teaching elementary music in public and private schools for ten years on Oahu, I met my husband and moved to Alaska…18 years ago. Yes, he was worth the move, and I love living in Alaska more and more each day. I taught elementary music and choir for the past 17 years in the Anchorage school district. My husband, who is also a music teacher, our 13-year-old daughter, and I all love to be outdoors, hiking, skiing (cross country only for me!), camping, reading, and traveling. My primary instrument is voice, but as an elementary music educator, I play a little bit of everything. I have sung in the Anchorage Concert Chorus and continue to sing online for my church as well as being their Arts Coordinator.
I began teaching at PNA last spring as a preschool and kindergarten music teacher and continued teaching preschool classes over the summer as time allowed. This year I am excited to be the music teacher for preschool, kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. Daily, I find myself so thankful to be a part of this PNA community!
In the music class…
These past few weeks (Tuesdays and Thursdays), I have enjoyed getting to know my students. We have been busy establishing our classroom guidelines, so the music room will be a place where students listen, share, help, be kind and feel safe while participating in music class. We sang, moved, played singing games, and played instruments; rhythm sticks in grade one and drums in preschool, kindergarten, and grade two. We talked about instrument “families”, and they had an opportunity to play a special drum I brought from home. Steady beat is a concept I teach for all grades at the start of the school year. The second graders are already beginning to see the relationship between steady beat and rhythm. Way to go!
My approach towards music education…“Positive early musical experiences can give a child a life long love of music and musical learning- a gift I believe truly worth giving.” Carl Orff
My method of music teaching is based in Orff Schulwerk (Carl Orff) and influenced by Kodaly (Zoltan Kodaly Do Re MI). These methods of music education emphasize creative play as a way of learning. Experiencing the music (hearing, performing, playing) is done before reading the music. Poems, songs, and stories are often the materials used for teaching musical concepts and creating musical experiences. Students also have plenty of opportunities to share their own musical ideas. I am discovering what wonderful music makers my students are at PNA! If your kids have yet to share with you SeI Sei Sei (rock paper scissor) or Poison So La Mi singing games, ask them to teach you. Have fun!
Linkhttp://https://aosa.org/ American Orff Schulwerk Association