Ep. 22 - Leadership in Choral Music Education - Barbara Tappa

"In mentoring a new teacher, I ask, 'How do we bring the music home to the students? Really, what is our job as music educators?' I believe my job as a music educator is to create better people. That's what I try to instill within my student teachers."Barbara Tappa just completed her 15th year at Ferris High School in Spokane, Washington, and her 23rd year of teaching overall. During her time at Ferris she led a comprehensive program with six choirs, including mixed choirs, treble choirs, a tenor/bass choir, show choir, and jazz choir. She has just begun her retirement from her position. A graduate of Western Washington University, she has directed junior and senior high school choirs in Moses Lake, Bothell and Woodinville, WA; Anaheim, CA; and Havelock, NC. She was an elementary teacher at Oslo International School in Oslo, Norway, and, more recently, taught elementary music at St. Charles Catholic School in Spokane. Barbara has been a cantor and choir director at Catholic churches in the United States, Japan, and Norway. She has directed festival choirs in Washington and Montana and adjudicated Solo and Ensemble contests. She is the conductor of Le Donne, a Spokane area women’s choir. She sings with Spokane Choral Artists, Le Donne, is the Music Director at St. Charles Catholic Parish, and has performed in a number of musical theatre productions throughout her career. Barbara has served as Choral Representative and then President of the Eastern Washington Music Educators Association, as the Eastern Liaison for Washington American Choral Directors Association, and as Choral Curriculum Officer for Washington Music Educators. In 2016 Barbara was the Washington State High School Music Educator of the Year. She currently serves as president of Washington’s ACDA chapter.To get in touch with Barbara, you can email her at [email protected] [email protected] to contact our hosts.Podcast music from Podcast.coPhoto in episode artwork by Trace Hudson from PexelsLOTL: Queer ConversationWe all crave Queer Conversations. Follow the link to listen.Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify