Name 
Ashley Brown
School & School System Where You Work
Tuttle Elementary School, Catawba County Schools
Number of Years Teaching
23
Teaching Area(s)
Elementary
Grade Level
Elementary
What do you love most about teaching music?
What I love most about teaching music is the opportunity to share my passion and love for music with my students. I strive to inspire them to explore and enjoy all styles of music. I am dedicated to teaching them how to understand what they see when they look at printed music and encouraging them to seek out musical experiences beyond the walls of our classroom.
Teaching music in elementary school is fun. I spend my entire day playing instruments, singing, moving and playing singing games….(and the list could go on!)
Who inspired you to be a music educator and how did they inspire you?
My elementary music teacher inspired me. Music was my favorite class all through school! I can remember lessons that she taught when I was in her music class and enjoyed them so much, I try to teach my students similar lessons!
I remember her teaching us about Danse Macabre. We turned out the lights, “laid down in our graves” on the floor and acted out the scenes! One person got be “Death” and play the “air violin”! She taught us to sing the melody by spelling “H-A-Double L -O-W-Double E- N spells Halloween.” I have never forgotten this and I hope I create similar experiences for my students!
What did you need the most when you started teaching?
I needed another music teacher to guide me and give me helpful hints about classroom management, lesson planning and teaching in general! I am thankful for Shari Wright, the teacher I student taught with. She took me under her wing and guided me in so many ways. I am FOREVER grateful for her, her mentorship and most importantly her friendship!
Describe the biggest challenge to teaching music education and how you have worked to overcome this challenge?
In my opinion, early in my career, the biggest challenge to teaching music education is that you are the only music teacher in the building! There is not anyone in your building that you can bounce ideas off of and share experiences that you encountered while teaching music. There is no one in your building that truly understands!
I worked to overcome this by collaborating with several other teachers in my county. We would plan weekly together. This was HUGE and lifted the costant lesson planning burden. Sadly most of those amazing teachers have retired so I now plan by myself. But all of those collaborative planning sessions taught me so many valuable insights and prepared me for planning now on my own!
How do you advocate for your program?
I share on social media and the school website about the programs and concerts my students present! Students’ parents also help advocate for my program as they will post pictures, advertisements and responses to the concerts!
What is one piece of advice you would give to beginning teachers?
One of the best pieces of advice for a beginning elementary music teacher is: “Be flexible and embrace the unexpected.”
In an elementary music classroom, things won’t always go as planned—students will have different energy levels, schedules will change, and lessons might not always go smoothly. Be willing to adjust, improvise, and meet students where they are. If a lesson isn’t working, don’t be afraid to pivot and try a different approach. Keep lessons engaging, movement-based, and student-centered, and remember that joy and enthusiasm go a long way in keeping young learners excited about music!
Seek out the veteran music teachers in your county! Don’t be afraid to ask for help and ask questions! Get involved in your countys music PLC (if one exists). Find organizations such as local Orff and/or Kodaly chapters and attend workshops! NEVER STOP LEARNING!
How do you build relationships with students and parents?
I build relationships with my students by showing them I love and care about them. I try to get to know about them while creating a positive, fair and conisistent learning environment. I strive to make my classroom a fun place to be while learning music. Participation is a must! Mistakes are acceptable. I show my students that I am human too and make mistakes as well but effort is expected in my music classroom.
With parents, I strive to be approachable and available if they have concerns. With my performing groups, I communicate regularly with those parents. Lastly, I show appreciation to them for their support. I am not able to accomplish successful programs without them!