Monica Shelly
EC Music Teacher
At WES Since: 2022
What is one of your goals as a teacher?
My goal as a teacher is to instill a lifelong love of learning and experiencing music! In every music class, we will sing, play, say, and move!
What is your philosophy on teaching?
I believe that music is a vehicle that drives children to learn social/emotional skills. Everyone loves music and learning music is important in helping children during their formative years. An important part of my philosophy and approach to music learning: I strongly believe in and use the Orff Schulwerk approach to music education which is child-centered. It treats music as a system like language whereas every child experiences music learning through singing, playing instruments, improvisation, and movement before labeling it in a formal and developmentally appropriate way.
Bio:
Growing up, I quickly grew a love for music—so much love I became a flutist! I also enjoyed the company of children and eventually thought that it would be a fun experience to combine these two loves which led me to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music education from the University of Tampa and the University of Miami. During that time, I participated in a research project that studied the benefits of music on children from birth to age 5. Through this, I discovered my true passion for early childhood music and the importance that music has on children during their formative years. When I’m not working I love spending time with my family and being a mother to my two children!
