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Peggy is well-known as a composer, with four of her tunes featured in
the Sher Real Book series. She has participated in composition
workshops throughout universities in the US and Europe, most recently
at The University of Alaska in Anchorage. She will be returning to
that part of the country in August, 2007.
Peggy has had a lot of experience and success leading jazz choirs,
both at home and abroad. In 2006, she taught at the Stanford Jazz
Camp, and incorporated her graded compositions and arrangements into
the vocal program. She will be returning to Stanford from July 15-21,
2007 (see StanfordJazz.org).
A Jazz Choir workshop in schools and jazz camps can bring
instrumentalists together with vocalists as one community. Peggy has
written and arranged an extensive body of music for these jazzchoirs;
the sheetmusic will soon be available for download from
www.peggystern.com, Original Scores page.
About her love of teaching, Peggy says:
“I have been a teacher for many years: I am a
classically trained pianist, who switched to improvised music, but
kept my classical roots. Having been there myself, I have created a
method for getting from thru-composed music on the page to improvised
music, using one or two chords to draw out the original
‘song’ that lies in each one of us. I love music theory,
and I believe that the tools of music are there for the taking, and
that study and practice yield tangible rewards. I find it
particularly rewarding to share my knowledge and love of music with
young people; it gives me optimism and energy to see how people
blossom with music in their lives.”
Peggy has a Bachelor of Music from Eastman School of Music, and a
Master of Music from The New England Conservatory. Peggy holds
Permanent Certification in Music, from both New York State, and
Colorado. She has extensive teaching experience, having taught in
elementary school, secondary school, college, and graduate school.
She has written, conducted, and performed choral music suitable for
middle and high school students, as well as elementary and adults!
This music has been published, and used in schools and workshops
nationally, as well as Europe.
As part of her busy school days, Peggy composed and produced musicals
and talent shows, created junior and senior choirs, bell choirs,
recorder choirs, and percussion ensembles, as well as jazz bands.
In response to the question:
“How does your current practice reflect a belief that
arts education is critical to the academic and social success of students?”
Music has always been a way to gather folks into a community: whether
it be in chorus, voices together – from church to the chain
gang, in bands – from garage to park gazebos to symphonies
- Since recorded time, music has been used as a way to bring
people together. I’ve always particularly enjoyed writing Alma
Maters for my schools, and leading the children in songs that they
all know at assemblies, and putting on talent shows, and musicals.
It’s a great way to foster school spirit and unity, in a
non-judgmental arena. No testing, no quizzes, all students and
teachers welcome to participate and enjoy!
In a school environment, music enjoys a special place outside the
rigors of academic pressures: it is an environment for
self-expression, for learning about other cultures and traditions,
and for creativity. Often the music class can be a forum for children
to shine where they might not in other areas: I can think of one
example: a little girl was being teased by her classmates as
“stupid”, until they heard her sing; her special talent
gave her a leg-up in the social stratum of her age-group, and did
wonders for her self-esteem; the obvious outcome was that her other
subjects improved.
In my music classes, I teach music reading and writing; I feel that
music literacy enhances young people’s lives in countless ways,
i.e.: arithmetical and spatial relationships, whole notes, half
notes, quarter notes etc: it is a visible and audible use of
fractions, but very simple and fun. In addition, reading notes from
the staff is like learning a language, but again, because it only
uses the alphabet from a to g, it is relatively easy to learn, and
delivers a high return in terms of creative exploration.
As a musician, the value of Arts in Education is inestimable; I have
devoted my life to the performance and teaching of music, and I have
seen firsthand the contribution and benefits music gives to
people’s lives.
Teaching Resume:
MEAGHER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – 2 years part-time
Choral director
General Music classes Kindergarten thru 5th Grade
Wrote & produced two original musicals
DWIGHT MORROW HIGH SCHOOL - 2 years full-time
Choral Director (Gospel/ Jazz/ Classical)
Keyboard Studies (lab)
General Music Classes
SUNY PURCHASE- 6 years total (including adjunct private lessons)
Ear-training
Keyboard Classes
Jazz Repertoire
Jazz Choir
Ensembles
THE MASTERS SCHOOL - 4 years
Jazz Choir
Piano lessons
CORNISH INSTITUTE of the ARTS - SEATTLE - 5 years
Ear-training
Jazz Theory
Duo Improvisation
Latin Ensemble
Jazz Choir
CAPE COD COMMUNITY COLLEGE - BARNSTABLE - 3 years
Music Appreciation
PRIVATE PIANO LESSONS - FOREVER |
