About
Welcome! I'm a general music teacher with a hands-on, child-centered approach to teaching music. I've taught general music to grades K-8 in my time as an educator; extracurricularly, I have run choirs, directed musicals, and led mariachi ensembles. I am Orff-Schulwerk certified and a firm believer in its motto of "sing, say, dance, play."
My classroom is a place where students learn through personal musical exploration, and focuses on four areas:
Singing: This starts with vocal exploration in kindergarten and moves into all sorts of folk and play party songs as the students get older, eventually culminating in singing multi-part music, such as canons, rounds, and two-part harmony.
Movement: One of the best ways to experience music is to move! We do imitative movement, student-led classroom movement, improvisational movement, and dance. We also add a generous helping of acting and drama to our music room--acting out stories and accompanying them with music we learn and create!
Instruments: My classroom has a full Orff instrumentarium and it is used rigorously from kindergarten onwards. Older students have the opportunity to learn recorder. Playing instruments is not only fun, but it teaches children about improvisation, practical music literacy, tonal relations, and persistence in practicing.
Music History: As an educator, I am a supporter of culturally-reponsive teaching at all grade levels. In the music history component of class, the students explore not only past events and people in history, but also how music connects to other art forms and to their own lived experiences. We also explore how music connects us to our lives and the cultures in our world.
I also integrate technology into my music teaching. Examples of tech I have used or am currently using include Quaver Music, Music Play Online, Band Lab, Canva, Flat, Chrome Music Lab, Garage Band, Flipgrid, Seesaw, Google Classroom, and Stop Motion Studio.
When I'm not teaching, I'm singing professionally with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and various opera companies in Chicago, doing aerial circus, and spending time with my husband, son, and two bad kitties.
Questions? Comments? Feel free to contact me at mrsgovertsenmusic@gmail.com!