María del Carmen Andrade
My name is María del Carmen Andrade. I was born in Quito, Ecuador. I have been working at a private international and bilingual school in Ecuador as a classroom music teacher for 14 years, but I have been teaching preschool and elementary students for about 30 years. Teaching is my passion and my calling in life. I have a degree in Education and I love what I do.
My family’s home was always the place where all the musical gatherings took place; I was always surrounded by a strong sense of family and community. One of my most cherished memories is that of my siblings and cousins with guitars, my grandfather with the mandolin, my mother with her accordion, and me with my harp coming together to make music. Now, every day I get to combine my love for music with my passion for teaching, and I am grateful for that.
Much of my life has been dedicated to community service, like helping the elderly and children with hearing loss. As vice-president of the Women’s Committee of Banco del Pacífico in Ambato, Ecuador, I actively participated in activities that helped to improve the quality of life in the community.
In 2000, when I was a preschool teacher, I won an international award in a world-wide contest organized by Pearson Education, which led me to the publishing world. I became an author and an editor of various publications for K-6 students at Santillana-Richmond Publishing (Ecuador). Additionally, in 2015 I received the “Oso Award” or Teacher of the Year Award.
I have provided teachers’ training workshops related to pedagogical topics such as Multiple Intelligences, creativity development, and textbook management in English and Spanish.
I have successfully completed the Orff Schulwerk Level 1 Course, training workshops in Kodaly and Dalcroze, as well as online training courses from the Berklee College of Music in Songwriting, Developing Your Musicianship, Introduction to Guitar, and Introduction to Music Production.In my spare time, I love spending time with my loved ones, writing stories for my music concerts, and learning and trying new things. These experiences have enriched my life and I want to share them with others.
