I started my musical journey at the age of four when I was enrolled in piano lessons. For many years, most of the music that I knew was through formal training and the Royal Conservatory of Music. Around twelve years old, I began playing the clarinet in Concert Band and keyboard in Jazz Band. The idea of creating music within a community was new to me, and Jazz opened up a whole new world of listening opportunities. I continued to take Music throughout high school, where it was a primary component of my student life. There was rarely a piece I disliked learning, and the Music department became the reason I started growing my confidence. During this time, I was also involved in the Drama department, which was my first exposure to Musical Theatre.
With all these new doors opening, my formal classical piano training took a bit of a turn. In contrast, I found piano lessons to be draining, tedious, and a roadblock to my learning at school. I finished my performance and theory qualifications up to Level 10 RCM but by that point, had grown to resent the instrument and the strict attitudes of my teachers. That is not to say that all my teachers were terrible, but the curriculum was rigid and there was never any room for error. After finishing my conservatory requirements, I paused piano lessons until I was getting ready to apply to university. The feeling of never being good enough was a feeling I vowed never to have my own students experience.
Initially, I was going to get my teaching qualifications in Music and Geography. But my love for Musical Theatre crept back into my life and I became actively involved in theatre groups on campus. I preferred the role of Music Director, sometimes playing the keyboard in the pit band. While I completed the two years of piano performance that was required for my program, I had always known that I wanted to be a classroom Music teacher, so I focused more time and energy on this. I ended up changing my second teaching qualification to Drama. I think I still might get my Geography AQ someday, but for now, I am content with my decision.
During my undergraduate years at Queen’s, I was involved in Wind Ensemble, piano accompaniment, and six musical theatre productions. I also found a love for Choral and Vocal Music thanks to a very supportive professor. There was some community formed in our Music program, but where I really found myself, was through theatre.
The school boards that I completed my teaching placements at were very similar to my own high school. Students were motivated to learn and shared a love for Concert band and Jazz music. They were respectful of staff and you would never see a student without an instrument. So you could imagine my surprise when I went in for my first long-term position in Toronto and this was not the case. I had students that were disengaged, coming to senior Music with no background of playing an instrument, and multiple behaviour issues to manage.
It has been about three years since I have started at this school. I took over permanently once the last teacher retired, and was able to build a rapport with students as a supply teacher before getting the permanent gig. With the pandemic on top of seniority issues, it was not an easy path to get here. I am still working through the challenges and trying to build up a program that had been abandoned for so long. But through it all, I aim to be that supportive teacher and role model for my students. I am now at the point where students have returned to my classes two, maybe three times, and it is such a joy to continue introducing them to pieces I loved, while taking into consideration more contemporary pieces they would like to learn.
In October, I took my students to the Roy Thomson Hall where they got to watch a professional orchestra live. For some of my students who had lived in Scarborough their whole lives, it was their first time experiencing Downtown Toronto.
This past semester, I was the interim department head which was an experience I am incredibly grateful for. I was in charge of overseeing not just the Music program, but the Drama and Visual Arts programs, as it all falls under one departmental role in the TDSB. The role has taught me about leadership, being a team player, budgeting, and maintaining your integrity.
I want to continue to introduce my students to more composers from around the globe, which was not an opportunity presented to me in childhood. Many days, I see pieces of my adolescent self in some of my students. The fear of failure and balancing school on top of being a teenager.
Perhaps my biggest teaching win was my Vocal class this term. The class featured many returning students, along with students who had never sung before. It was a grade 9/10/11/12 split class. We spent the semester learning music from traditional folk songs to Laufey and performing in multiple school events. By the end, they were all able to perform on the auditorium stage in front of each other, solo. It was such a privilege to see them take all their errors and mishaps and turn them into learning experiences. My teaching style is a reflection of all the musical experiences I had, the good and the bad, and continuing to adapt each day.
Toronto, December 2024
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