布莱森·塔贝特，m.s.M.Ed. ’22, Kodály教育学重点, has redefined elementary music education and the content-specific professional development provided to elementary music teachers. As an instructional coach and elementary music specialist based in 哥伦布, 俄亥俄州, Tarbet has dedicated his career to supporting and inspiring educators globally through his company, 那个音乐老师, and the groundbreaking Elementary Music Summit.
Tarbet’s journey is rooted both in his academic and personal experiences. He earned his Bachelor of Music in Music 教育 from 俄亥俄州 Wesleyan University and went on to complete his master’s with a Kodály Pedagogy emphasis from 资本. While this educational background gave him a strong foundation, it was his time working in the classroom that truly shaped his vision of how he could make an impact in the community.
“I ended up spending the majority of my first year out of college outside of the music classroom working as a special education assistant. At the time I knew very little about that world or how to make sure that students who receive special education services are truly included in an actual way. That really influenced me in the music classroom,塔伯特说。. “When I started my master’s, my research was largely focused on 包容. 我自己就是神经分化者. I think a lot about my own experience as a student and realize there was definitely some room to grow there.”
那个音乐老师 started with Tarbet sharing his experiences as a teacher. After the community started to grow, he realized that there was a need for content-specific professional development for elementary music educators.
“We serve elementary music teachers from all over the world, which is super cool to say. Primarily, our audience is United States and Canada; we do have a growing audience in Australia. Most of the services we offer are asynchronous and they’re able to be enjoyed and viewed and applied to classrooms all over the world,塔伯特说。. “I ran my company for many years in the evenings and on the weekends. 在学年结束时, 上个学年, I did leave the classroom and started running 那个音乐老师 full time. It’s super exciting and scary at the same time, but it’s been great so far. I love seeing what we can do for educators around the world who are really looking for that content-specific elementary professional development.”
His dedication to the broader music education community has only deepened since. 那个音乐老师 offers a range of resources, from online courses to podcasts, all aimed at empowering music educators to create more inclusive, 参与课堂. Tarbet also hosts That Music Podcast, where he and his guests discuss everything from lesson planning to the challenges of teaching music in today’s world.
“The biggest thing that I see people enjoy is the differentiation piece. 在我们的学校和地区, they tell us to differentiate but no one really talks about what that means. 尤其是在音乐背景下. It’s one of those buzzwords we love to float around. Being able to dive into what the research says but also looking at what it practically looks like in a classroom, especially a Kodály-influenced classroom, 真的很令人兴奋,塔伯特说。. “The reality is as elementary music teachers we are asked to serve all these students. Just being asked to serve them doesn’t mean we’re actually serving them. We need to make sure that we are creating a classroom that really is for everyone.”
The Elementary Music Summit has been wildly successful, with the 2024 event breaking attendance records. 通过他的工作, Tarbet is proving that teaching music isn’t just about notes and rhythms – it’s about connection, 包容, 和快乐.
“This past Elementary Music Summit in July we had over 6,600 elementary music teachers join us from around the world, 这么说很疯狂吧. When teachers get together, there’s just so much magic that happens. There are so many good ideas that get shared,塔伯特说。. “My favorite part of anything I do or that we facilitate as a company is it’s not just one person sharing. It’s everyone coming together and realizing we all have strengths in certain areas, 我们都有成长的领域, and when we’re allowed to actually talk to each other magic happens.”
For more information about 资本’s Kodály Emphasis program, visit http://www.资本.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/kodaly-emphasis/.