Jeremy Howard received a BME in vocal music education and an MM with an emphasis in the Kodály philosophy from Morehead State University and is a certified Kodály educator. Additionally, he studied at the Kodály Institute in Kecskemet, Hungary.
The key to the Whole Musician system is its link to the reason for using our well-trained hearts, minds, ears, and hands; and removing overly specific black and white rules. Let’s compare traditional expectations to the Whole Musician model and see how to implement the Whole Musician into your classroom.
Get to know our authors. In our “Teacher Feature,” you will not only learn about our contributors’ professional endeavors but also get to know them as humans too. Just like our readers – our authors are actively teaching in schools across the United States.
Jeremy Howard is our featured teacher this week. He received a BME in vocal music education and an MM with an emphasis in the Kodály philosophy from Morehead State University and is a certified Kodály educator. Additionally, he studied at the Kodály Institute in Kecskemet, Hungary.
Mr. Howard serves as the 3-Year-Old through 8th Grade General Music Teacher and Choir Director at Christ the King Cathedral School and the Preparatory choir director of the Lexington Singers Children’s Choir, in Lexington, Kentucky. He is active as a conductor for Honor and Festival Choirs; a clinician for several music educator workshops and conferences, specializing in early education, literacy strategies, and curriculum; and teaches Kodály certification courses in Alabama and Kentucky. He is the past-president of the Kentucky Association of Kodály Educators (KAKE), and current Midwest Regional 1 Representative for the Organization of American Kodály Educators (OAKE). He also manages his Music Makers line of Kodály-based music education materials.
As a child I wanted to be a Disney animator, and thought I’d be an art major in college. My interest in music began in high school, when I played trumpet and french horn in band. In college, I decided to study vocal music.
Yes! My art teacher, Mr. Bill Dodson, was an amazing educator who always intrigued me. After becoming an educator, myself, I thought back to my classes with him and was able to comprehend his great teaching methods and how I can incorporate them into my lessons.
I struggled in my beginning years of college as I realized I could not read music without an instrument – I was unable to audiate sounds. My voice professor continued to work with me and provided lots of tough love to get me where I needed to be. I feel that I have a strong view of what it’s like to be musically illiterate and can provide tactics for developing literacy in students with no prior background due to my own experiences at a later age.
I have two favorite experiences to share:
1) Seeing students read, write, improvise, and compose for the first time! Just watching their faces process the task is so rewarding.
2) We had a refugee student who came from Haiti who spoke no English. I researched Haitian folk music so I could sing a song from his culture when he arrived. He immediately smiled, grabbed the paper from my hand, and began singing along. Ultimately, he taught the folk song to the choir and was much harder on correct diction than I could have ever been!
I will admit that I did not want to teach elementary music. Thankfully, my Kodály studies showed me the level of musicality that elementary students can achieve and, the power of purposeful play! I am forever grateful to my Kodály instructors, Jo Kirk, Joy Nelson, Karla Cherwinski, and Liza Meyers.
How do you deal with stress?
Writing poetry, composing, and playing retro video games.
Chicken Vindaloo and Tandoori chicken
Misha Bobo; she is a rat terrier/chihuahua mix and I believe also part cheetah/kangaroo!
Bluegrass/Folk, Classic Country (1970’s and earlier), Techno/New Age
“C-O-F-F-E-E, coffee is not for me!” Cola, for sure, but I have made the switch to carbonated water.
Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body; Neil Shubin
Batman; I love all the tech gadgets and, I am a night owl.
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