Who I Am

I'm hoping to get back into blogging again, and thought it would be a good idea to reintroduce myself to the blogging world.

My name is Jennifer Kolze, and I am a music teacher and musician.

I teach 3rd-8th Grade General and Vocal Music for a small school district in the western suburbs of Chicago.  My students sing, play recorders, guitars, and percussion instruments, learn about music around the world, compose their own music, and explore their own musical interests and tastes.  They are exposed to tools such as GarageBand, Audacity, NoteFlight, MuseScore, SmartMusic, and much more. 

Music has always been an important part of my life.  I have been singing as long as I can remember.  I've been playing clarinet since I was 9 years old, and have added many other instruments to that list since then.  I currently play in a community band and am hoping to get back into singing in a community choir.  I love to surround myself with music, whether it's creating my own or just listening to music while I'm working around the house or in the garden.

I am currently a graduate student at VanderCook College of Music in Chicago, IL.  This is my final summer of residency (yay!).   One of the classes I am taking is called Instructional Design (I'm actually in class RIGHT NOW!), and am hoping to share a lot of new tips, tricks, and tools that I learn in here and can use with my incredible students!