Bio/Philosphy of Music Education

Mrs. Armstrong has loved music, especially singing, ever since she was a young child. Her formal music training began when her parents bought a small Wurlitzer organ when she was in 3rd or 4th grade. She received some lessons on this instrument, and then moved on to play the clarinet beginning in 4th grade, and continuing all the way through college. She was involved in bands, orchestras, choirs, and musicals all throughout her school years and into college. She taught herself piano, taught piano lessons to younger children when she was in high school, and also took voice lessons. She earned her Bachelor's degree in music education at Millersville University, with voice being her major instrument of study. Beginning in 1988, she was employed by Dayspring Christian Academy and has worked on and off there (the "off" years were spent raising her four daughters!) in a variety of positions...including classroom music teacher in lower and upper school, choir director, 2nd grade teacher, 3rd grade teacher, and an elementary classroom aide. She also spent many years teaching private lessons on various instruments; including piano, voice, clarinet, saxophone, flute, and trumpet. She currently teaches full time at Dayspring, as the classroom music teacher for grades PreK - 5. She is also the lower school musical director, involved with the upper school musical, and leads ukulele club in the upper school. 

 

So, why the ukulele??! As you have read, strings were NOT a part of Sally's background...until the 2012-2013 school year. When her daughter, Rebekah, decided to buy a ukulele and learn to play (and was quite talented with it!), Mrs. Armstrong became aware that the instrument was becoming very popular across the nation. It was portable, affordable, and easy to learn and play. It is a versatile instrument on which one can learn melody, harmony, chords, picking, strumming, and singing while playing! She entertained the idea of using the instrument in her 5th grade music class, and the students were all for it. In fact, that class started a fundraising campaign (they called it "Ukes 4 U") and earned enough to purchase 25 student ukuleles for the school! Now Mrs. Armstrong was committed...to learn to play, as well as teach the ukulele! As part of her professional development, she stumbled upon the "Ukulele in the Classroom" program, which was authored by Chalmers Doane and James Hill, both Canadian ukulele players and teachers. She had the privilege of attending her first JHUI seminar (James Hill Ukulele Institue) in Vancouver during July of 2014. This was the beginning of a three year course involving practice logs, webinars, monthly assignments, teaching logs, and a final test and recording assignments. After the year was completed, she went back to Vancouver in 2015 where she received her Level 1 certification as a ukulele instructor. She completed her Level 2 and attended her final Vancouver seminar in July of 2016. Level 3 was completed in June of 2017. Since beginning her training, Mrs. Armstrong has fallen in love with this little instrument and its "joyful sounds." She has incorporated the ukulele into 4th and 5th grade classes, a ukulele club for middle and high, school students, Dayspring concerts, and has run summer ukulele camps where students have the opportunity to build and decorate their own ukuleles, as well as learn to play some basics. She concurs with James Hill in saying that her main goal is not to "teach the ukulele", it is to teach MUSIC, using the ukulele as a tool.