Hi!
My name is Krista Quinn and I will be a student at Berklee College of Music studying Contemporary Writing and Piano Performance beginning Fall 2011. I am an American citizen who was born in the Republic of Panama. I have a degree in Latin American and Caribbean Studies with a minor in International Affairs--which is odd given my first love is music and my life path up until this point has brought me into the education realm. My parents are both educators who retired in the Republic of Panama--(so this might have something to do with my interest in education!)
I have currently lived and worked in Panama City, Panama since 2005 in Early Childhood Education at the international school Balboa Academy; beginning with Jack Redmond... a 4 year old from Washington DC! I worked part-time as a paraprofessional with Jack in the classroom and helped him to accomplish tasks that he wouldn't otherwise be able to do. He had developmental delays and was about 1 1/2 years behind the other children at his grade level. He worked with speech and occupational therapists and while I myself was not certified; I learned a lot from the people that helped him to become a better student. Mostly Jack and I were buds and I developed a very close bond with he and his family.
I then went on to do a part-time teaching assistant position in the kindergarten and after that the 1st grade while taking online classes at Berklee and began a music minor at the University of Panama. After I worked extensively with in the Elementary- a position opened up for me to teach music!! I was given the position as part of a work-study agreement and have been teaching music to 4-9 year olds and studying music ever since!!!
I am active in the musical community in Panama City have performed in many venues as a songwriter, vocalist, pianist and most recently a composer and am co-founder of Artblock!! An event that takes place three times a year in the old French Quarter of Panama City and that employs many musicians, visual artists, actors, and poets and connects them with local business owners.
Apart from this I have tutored many students from K-12 -- in all subjects, have given ensemble music lessons, as well as private instruction to students on guitar, piano, and music theory. In the case of general subject tutoring; I try to find out what the student is trying to accomplish and then make a plan as to how to reach the student. In the case of private music instruction; I normally try to help students learn songs that they are interested in to begin and try to show them ideal practice methods on their instrument. I try to make this process as fun as possible; because the worst thing to do is lose students who love music because of rigid teaching techniques :(
I find that in most cases students have everything they need to succeed they just need to learn how to tap into the resources they naturally possess and work with someone that employs the right amount of belief and discipline to help them accomplish their goals.
I also believe that teaching is less about how much you know and more about how well you connect what you know with your student. I have a lot of experience with children but look forward to the unique teaching and learning opportunities working with new students will provide!
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