I'm not an expert, or a magical wizard that has all the answers, but I'm a creative leader who is devoted to loving and teaching her students well. The name is Miss Mini, but some of my beloved life-skills students refer to me as Miss "Mickey". I teach music, have a choir, and perform the daily lunch duty. I've put together assemblies, concerts, field trips, and yes--even a rap video (more on that later). Technically I'm a 2nd year teacher, but I've taught abroad, and my first year as a music teacher aged me about 7 years, so does that count?
I know there are music educators out there that would have my head for saying this, but more than anything I am passionate about urban education. I teach in an urban K-4 building, serving approximately 500 students. My music class is not always about the greatest composers, or correctly identifying every single instrument (although, we're getting there). It's about using music as a creative outlet, giving my students options for when they need to "escape" besides youtube or Xbox---finding friends and playing a musical game, or having songs from my class keep them company at night when they can't fall asleep.
I'm excited to start blogging, to get some of my ideas out there and to collaborate with fellow music educators---all educators! I'm excited to celebrate successes and troubleshoot troubles. I hope you'll enjoy the peeks into my classroom and hopefully get a small taste of the love that is all around. As I often say to the classes before entering my room:
"Let's get this party started!"
