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Kendall Allen, Jr., Excellence in Teaching
Philosophy of Teaching
Teachers are the motivators, the innovators, creative, confident, nurturing and, most of all, always on a quest for knowledge. These are the traits that a reflective and efficient teacher hopes to pass along to his/her students. I feel tremendously honored to be a music teacher because I am able to teach these assets to all children in the school.
Music is a mode of expression. It provides opportunities for people to communicate joy and sorrow, nurturing, meaning, comfort and relief. It “soothes the soul.” I strive to show these emotions every day to my “children” by sharing my own musical experiences. The ability to express one’s self is not only a valuable asset within the music classroom but also the regular education classroom and in everyday life.
The confidence to speak or sing in front of a classroom is a skill I work on every day with my students by creating a safe environment allowing them to have pride in their hard work. Being a musician creates the foundation for life-long learning.
A teacher’s responsibility is to engage students in active learning. This allows all students to become individual thinkers and productive members of group work without sacrificing their individuality. Teachers are accountable for challenging young minds to gain skills such as critical thinking, abstract thinking and problem solving. Music allows students to become the very thinkers that guide and influence society.
Since no student is made the same, we have to challenge ourselves as well to differentiate in order to reach every child’s unique thinking. Some students are visual, aural or kinesthetic learners. As a teacher, I make every effort to meet all of those levels of thinking in a lesson. I achieve this goal by teaching according to the philosophy of Zoltán Kodály, a Hungarian folk music analyst and educator. His method is one of global music education through multicultural repertoire.
Diverse musical repertoire was important for Kodály and to me as well. I traveled to India in 2007 so that I could bring music from that culture to my home school. Kodály’s method allows all students to achieve their personal best. This philosophy strengthens young musician’s skills through singing solfege (do, re, mi). I find this process gives a concrete solution to playing a unique and complex instrument; the voice. Every child will succeed in my class.
As a teacher, I find the positive in every student and allow that attribute to shine. Doing this will allow the phrase “success for all” to take life. Finding these positive attributes inside of every student also creates an environment wherein students feel safe and nurtured. In my opinion, this is the most important thing a teacher can do.
There is no hope that a child will succeed if they feel threatened or intimidated. Through my constant encouragement and nurturing, I have seen students blossom from shy to confident. Those same students start singing alone and become more creative in class. These remarkable moments confirm that we, as teachers, are impacting lives. I still remember and cherish my first remarkable teaching moment to this day. That moment still impacts my life and guides my teaching.
A teacher should have spirit when teaching. When a teacher is having a good time teaching, it’s more likely the child will as well. Students retain more when they are engaged in active learning. I show every day what a difference music has made in my life using excitement in my teaching. Students understand and appreciate my enthusiasm and it shows in their quality of work.
Every day I work to maintain the traits of great teaching and build upon them. The learning is never done; I am a dedicated life-long learner. I learn so much from these students. They impact my life as much as I hope to impact their lives. I couldn’t think of a better career. The work of a teacher is never finished; it just goes from one exciting adventure to another.
Educational / Professional Background
University Degrees
Bachelor of Music Education Degree, May 2003
Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa
Major Applied Area: Voice
Certifications:
- K-12 Music
- SIOP Training
- Kodály Level 1, 2, 3
- OAKE Certification
Professional Work Experience
July 2007 to Present - Music Specialist and Honor Choir Director, Schell Elementary School, Plano
- Direct and instruct students according to the Kodály Method
- Fulfill the needs of a diverse school with culturally rich repertoire
- Select music that challenges each students’ musicianship skills such as sight-reading, harmonic and rhythmic skills
- Founder of the Honor Choir which rehearses every Thursday
- Prepare students for a regional choir that performs at the Meyerson in January
- Plano programs several times a year
- Assess students’ musical capabilities at the beginning of the year and develop individual plans of how they will succeed throughout the year
- Work with students outside of music class to enhance their musical abilities
- Wrote two school songs for the opening of Schell Elementary, which were debuted at the school’s dedication
- Facilitator of morning announcements in absence of the principal.
July 2003 to 2007 - Music Specialist and Honor Choir Director, Miller Elementary School, Plano
- Plan lessons daily for a culturally diverse school including music from around the world
- Prepare children daily to read music through the Kodály Method
- Prepare, plan and stage programs for various grade levels per year
- Director of Recorder Ensemble for Fifth Graders
- Founder of the Honor Choir which practices every Tuesday at 7 a.m.
- Expose children to music from all different nationalities, races and cultures
- Co-lead the Fine Arts Vertical Team
- Traveled to India to study the country’s rich musical culture and share with my students
August 2005 to Present - Plano Children’s Chorale Director, Plano ISD
- Audition students from the entire district based on melodic memory, intonation, canon work and rhythmic capabilities
- Facilitate performances throughout the year at various community and statewide events such as performing at the 2007 Texas Music Educators Conference in San Antonio as an invited elementary ensemble
- Enrich the musical experiences of 90 talented musicians through advanced sight-reading (Kodály-based), rhythmic reading and singing in several common and uncommon languages.
Related Experience
February 2006 to May 2007 - Assistant Site Manager / Site Manager, Plano ISD
- Lesson planning for various grade levels
- Parent liaison
- Responsible for safety of 100 students
Field experiences
- Irving Elementary, Waverly, IA / co-taught original lessons in a 5th-6th grade generic music classroom
- LaGuardia Performing Arts School, New York City, NY, 9th-12th
- Central Park East School, East Harlem, NY, K-5th
- Central Middle School, Waterloo, IA, 6th-8th Band
- American Embassy School, New Delhi, India
Honors & Activities
Professional
- Beginning Teacher of the Year, Miller Elementary
- Texas Music Educators Association
- Kodály Certification Levels 1, 2, 3
- OAKE Certification
- School Based Improvement Committee, Miller and Schell
- Director of Featured Elementary Choir, 2007 Texas Music Educators Association
- PTA Life Member - Miller, 2007
- Founding Director of Miller and Schell Honor Choirs
College
- Wartburg Choir
- Symphonic Band
- Teacher Advisory Council Representative
- Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges
- Wartburg Association of Student Educators
- Officer of Kappa Delta Pi
- Music Educators National Conference
Volunteer Work
- Program involving children with special needs
- Habitat for Humanity in Georgia
- Work on restoring church in Mexico
- Leader of a service trip to Brooklyn, NY
- After-school program, Arabic Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, NY
- Sing with Voices of Hope at church
School
Principal Recommendation
It has been my pleasure to know Mr. Kendall Allen for a period of approximately five years. These five years have been a joy working with Kenny as the music specialist at Miller Elementary and now at Schell Elementary. Kenny has positively influenced the community and our school district in the years he has been with us. I have never seen any teacher with as much enthusiasm, eagerness, joy, love for teaching, love of people, and magnetism as Kenny.
Kenny lives what he believes. He believes all children can learn and they do. He believes that children need to be motivated and he motivates them. He believes that one of our jobs as educators is to build children’s self esteem, and he does. Not only does Mr. Allen teach music, he teaches children to believe in themselves, that through hard work and effort, dreams can come true.
His enthusiasm, eagerness, joy and love of children and teaching shine each day. Just being around Mr. Allen you find yourself smiling and uplifted. His spirit rubs off on children, parents and staff members.
Mr. Allen’s contributions at Schell have affected our staff as well. He organized a staff choir that sang during the winter assembly. He has us performing and doing songs that we never thought we could do. He had staff members involved that would have been too shy or embarrassed to do any kind of performing before the students.
Perhaps the greatest gift Mr. Allen has brought to Schell is an increased sensitivity and appreciation for diversity. He is a role model for students and staff alike.
Schell Elementary, Plano ISD, and the metroplex are also impacted by Mr. Allen’s abilities. He has organized the Schell Fifth Grade Choir and the Schell Honor Choir. For three years, he has co-directed the Plano Children’s Choir and he also prepares Schell students who perform in the Metroplex Children’s Choir. He is committed, involved and he loves to teach.
I am honored to recommend Mr. Allen to you. He is a leader in our school and our district. He is an outstanding candidate for Plano ISD’s Elementary Teacher of the Year.
Sincerely,
Susan Dantzler
Principal, Schell Elementary School
E-mail congrats to Kendall Allen
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