It is with great excitement that I join the faculty here at Tabor Academy! I can think of no better place to start my return to the United States than at the School by the Sea.
I grew up in New Hampshire in an active family of six where my dad taught us how to sail and my mom started us on violin lessons at the age of three. My older brother and I were inspired by our cousin to start playing ice hockey, and pretty soon that became a big part of our family as well. When I started looking for my next school, it made sense that Tabor could be the best “next step.” My life and previous work helped me step into my roles as an instrumental music teacher, assistant hockey coach, recreational sailor, and dorm parent with confidence. That said, I wouldn’t be ready for my role here at Tabor if it wasn’t for the five years I spent living, teaching, and coaching in Jordan.
The school community at King’s Academy in Jordan gave faculty and students a caring and warm environment where we were encouraged to take our ideas and put them into action. I worked with colleagues, department chairs, and administrators who valued my ideas and trusted my knowledge of the subject area. This gave me the space to build an orchestra program that grew and changed with the students each year. Living internationally broadened my world view and equipped me with skills to reach a diverse student body, all the better to serve students here at Tabor.
As a musician, I’ve learned that small, consistent effort creates improvement. Through recording their assignments along with a personal reflection, my students are encouraged to set goals and be mindful while they practice. I don’t want them to complete an assignment just for the sake of “getting it done!” As I write feedback after viewing each student’s recording, I make sure to talk about what has gone well in addition to what needs improvement. Students are then asked to engage with my feedback and rewatch their video through the eyes of a teacher. After, they give themselves feedback and set a goal for their continued improvement. This structure is new to the students at Tabor and, understandably, was met with some hesitation and need for clarification. After individual and group conversations, they have “leaned in” to this new structure. I welcome this type of question-asking and answer-seeking: they want to know why they’re doing something and don’t just want “because I said so” as an answer! Hearing their questions shows me the students are actively engaged in their learning and want to make sure they are spending their time efficiently.
To learn the strengths of my musicians within the ensemble setting, I have been rotating their seating every rehearsal. In the second week of classes, one violinist came to Office Hours and cautiously inquired if the seating would continue to rotate or if they’d eventually get specific seat assignments. As I geared up for my usual “every seat in the orchestra has an important role” defense speech, I was pleasantly surprised by the next sentence I heard: “If you listen back to recordings from last year, you can’t hear the second violins because all of the strongest players are playing first violin. If you’d like to keep rotating us and balancing the sections, I think that would be a great idea.” I almost fell out of my chair! His observation and willingness to try something new showed his “passion for the highest standards of achievement” not only for himself but for the ensemble as a whole.
We just finished our third full week of classes at Tabor, and the students and I are settling in and getting more comfortable with each other. In our final rehearsals before this week’s performances in Chapel and All-School Meeting, they showed a sense of ownership and pride in the work they’ve done thus far. I realize that setting performance dates so early into the year can feel like I’m throwing us all off the dock without life jackets while crossing my fingers that we all know how to swim, but fortunately, our small, consistent efforts in rehearsals and the practice room have built up our confidence!
As we stepped out to perform, each group exhibited just the right sort of nervous-excitement to showcase their starting point to their peers, all while hoping their performance would entice the community to follow their progress throughout the year. I have to say I was so proud I almost blurted out: All-A-Taut-O!
Please enjoy this video of the String and Wind Ensembles performances at Chapel and All School Meeting, respectively, three weeks into the school year.
String and Wind Ensemble 9-19 from Tabor Academy on Vimeo.
