What makes you #morethanamusicteacher? In this blog series inspired by Franklin Willis’ Book, More Than A Music Teacher, we invited teachers around the world to share their stories. Today, we’ll hear from Susana Rodríguez-Snyder and Amanda Aragon. Read on as we celebrate the incredible changemakers in our profession of music education.

Meet Susana Rodríguez-Snyder, #morethanamusicteacher

Susana Rodríguez-Snyder

Tell us your story. How did you become a music teacher?

I grew up in a family of musicians (mother’s side). We were always singing and my uncles were always playing the guitar. I went to a private elementary school, on the South Side of Chicago, where we didn’t have music class but we sang in church. I remember looking at the notes in the misalette and “reading” the notes going up and down.

It wasn’t until middle school that I learned how to read music in band class. I was new to the school, we moved to Northwest Indiana, and didn’t get the foundations class over the summer so I was put in a practice room to learn the flute, all by myself.

In 7th and 8th grade we convinced our band director to let us do choir as well. So we did band M-W-F and Choir T-Th. In HS, I joined Showchoir where I combined my love of singing and dancing.

I knew I always wanted to be a teacher but was unsure which area to go into. I always loved little kids so definitely Elementary. I thought about Special Education and and Social Studies.

Music was always a big part of my life so I went for it. I had taken voice lessons since middle school but focused on musical theater. I studied a bit of classical repertoire but was never really classically trained.

I picked my alma mater for a few reasons. One was they didn’t require auditions. I have horrible stage freight and knew I didn’t have the right training. Thankfully, I was good at theory and had a good ear. I was told I wasn’t good enough and should take a different path. I was told I wasn’t “educated” enough and they didn’t think I’d make it. But I did and I’m successful.

Tell us about teachers that influenced you. What was so impactful about their teaching?

My mom was a 2nd grade teacher for most of her career. She also did 1st and 4th for a few years. I was that kid who would go with my mom to her school when I didn’t have school. I would help her out and did this from K-12th grade. Because of her I knew what it took to be a successful teacher. She’s the reason I wanted to be a teacher.

Teaching music was an afterthought. It was always teaching first. I had wonderful music teachers all were influential in their own way. My most influential was my voice teacher in college, Margaret Kennedy-Dygas. She believed in me. She saw my determination and helped me through some health struggles that affected my voice. She was also the only voice teacher who had students of color. It wasn’t obvious to others but it was to us. There weren’t many of us, POC in the music department, but she was always a HUGE support to us.

What does your teaching life look like now? What do you teach? Where do you teach?

I am now teaching Elementary Music in El Paso, TX in Socorro ISD. I am in my 19th year teaching. 4 of those years were teaching choir and Elementary music. All the rest have been Elementary. Of my 19 years teaching, I have only taught 1 year at one campus. 4 years with 3 campuses , 7 with 5 campuses, 4 with 3 campuses, and 3 with 2 campuses. Some schools I’ve had rooms, some I’ve taught in locker rooms, hallways and have gone class to class. I only see my students 16 times a year so our time together is minimal but I try to make the most of it.

I have an M.Ed in Instructional Technology so I use a lot of tech in my classroom, which helps with our time. I love creating tech based lessons. I also have always had a passion for geography, world cultures and languages. I have World Music Pedagogy certification and 2 Kodaly Levels. I hope to continue learning and receive more certifications in the learning process.

What do you love to do outside of teaching? What passions/hobbies/interests do you have?

Outside of music, I love photography, mostly nature, animals, architecture. We love camping and traveling so I take my camera everywhere. I also love sewing and cooking but interestingly I am not very “girly.” Lol.
I have 3 kiddos ( 2 boys and a girl) and a quadrilingual husband.

Why are you #morethanamusicteacher?

Many of my students don’t realize that we are REAL teachers too! We also do so much more than teach music. I love incorporating social studies into my lessons. My students often learn more SS from me then the classroom teachers because it’s not a “tested” subject.

 

Meet Amanda Aragon #morethanamusicteacher

Tell us your story. How did you become a music teacher?

I started organizing friends to do shows (singing and dancing to songs from musicals) when I was in seventh grade. I designed the costumes, created choreography, wrote little scripts, and organized rehearsals for these 20-30 minute long shows. You might say I started creating music programs for students when I was still a student myself. But I was always told that being a music teacher was an unstable job in the schools — and in California in the 80s and 90s it absolutely was. I took a few years off after high school and then finally, against my parents’ wishes, followed my heart and pursued music education. The first time I stepped into an elementary general music classroom, I knew I had found my home. While I enjoyed observing and student teaching in the middle and high school programs, elementary general music has always had my heart.

Tell us about teachers that influenced you. What was so impactful about their teaching?

Over the 26 years of my career so far, there have been far too many to name or even recall. My cooperating teachers were some of the finest educators I have ever known. My elementary-level cooperating teacher went on to mentor me for the first five years of my career, offering advice, materials, paying tuition for seminars and such, even observing in my classroom from time to time. I had an official mentor in my school district when I started, and I learned so many new games and strategies in those few years of her guidance. I have learned classroom management, instructional strategies, relationship-building techniques, and on and on and on from the classroom teachers in my own building (and I’ve been in six so far). One of the other music teachers in my district and I did our masters together, and the people in our cohort were as much my teachers as my fellow students. And recently, I have gained so much wisdom, gathered new materials and life, and seen my classroom (of ten plus years) from a new perspective thanks to the educators I now follow on Instagram. Anything good that happens in my classroom is a result of the impact of sooooo many educators who have shared their knowledge and wisdom over the years!

What does your teaching life look like now? What do you teach? Where do you teach?

This is my 26th year of teaching. I teach in the Denver metro area in a K-8 public school. I teach eight classes a day — K-5 general music, and 6-8 guitar and general music.

What do you love to do outside of teaching? What passions/hobbies/interests do you have?

I started training parkour at age 50, and I started taking juggling classes at age 52. I self-published my first children’s picture book (about parkour) this year, and am working on the next two. I am also an avid pianist.

Why are you #morethanamusicteacher?

In a literal sense, I have to remember that teaching K-8 music is my career, not my life. So outside of school, I leave my job behind and focus on family, physical movement, friends, etc. At school and with my students, I do far more than teach music. I am an unofficial mentor to our new music teachers. I am a cheerleader for our students who are crushing their goals. I am a listening ear and a caring heart for those having a rough go. I am consistency and reliability for those whose lives outside school are chaos and uncertainty. I create the space where students can experience persistence, teamwork, and failure without fear. I am a composer and a sound engineer, a designer and creator of costumes and sets. I am a writing editor for my colleagues. I am a source of reassurance and an advocate to families dropping off their babies with us every morning. I am a voice of anti-racism and source of children’s book recommendations. Being an educator is So Much More than delivering instruction!