Elizabeth began working as an educator in New York in 2006, soon after her daughter was born, and has completed every teaching tenure to its full term. She loves balancing her music career with teaching residencies in a variety of schools; always learning from youth culture in the diverse boroughs of New York. Impactful to her growth as an educator is her work with The Leadership Program. She gained a holistice approach to teaching due in great part to extensive training that the Leadership Program provides. In 2013 she earned the position of "Music Content Specialist" and facilitated quarterly workshops for the Leadership Teaching Artists. Elizabeth maintains a close relationship with the Leadership Program and facilitates at Youth Conferences and Building Family Workshops as well.
Elizabeth has also been teaching through The American Composers Orchestra since 2011. She is currently in residence at Manhattan Academy of Arts and Language, and was selected as Co-Music Director for the Drumming, Choral and Composition Program at South Bronx’s IS 229 where she was in residence for ten years teaching rhythms from The Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico,Brazil, and Hip Hop beats.The students also developed cross discipline connections creating their own compositions in small groups .
As a teacher, Elizabeth embraces the method of placing focus on positive reinforcement, and feels this garners the best results. Encouraging creativity, emphasizing leadership, and challenging her students' minds and hearts are elemental to her teaching style.
Elizabeth enjoys getting involved with her new neighborhood community of Gardiner, Ny in the lower Catskill Mountains. She facilitates drumming classes for the local library, joins in for local music events, and teaches one on one private lessons. Elizabeth has always enjoyed teaching in Summer Camps, such as Music & Drumming at Brooklyn Acting Lab Summer Youth Camp, and World Drumming at Congregation Beth Elohim for almost ten years; both extraordinary summer camps.
EDUCATION
Nashville, Tn.
Hillwood High School
B.A. College of Communications/Marketing and Advertising
Havana, Cuba
Matanzas, Cuba
Seattle, Washington
Seattle World Percussion Society
Jeff Busch (Brazilian percussion)
Matt McCarter (Afro-Cuban)
Mapathe Diop (Senegal,Africa)
Miami, Fla.
Jose Castillo (Afro-Cuban)
New York, NY.
Tito Puente’s Harbor Conservatory of the Performing Arts
Johnny Almendra (Afro-Cuban)
Tony Rosa
(Puerto Rican,Afro-Cuban)
INSTRUCTIONAL COMPONENTS
Percussion Technique and Vocabulary
Traditional Rhythms from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, American Hip Hop, Brazil, West Indies, and her own compositions.
Significance and origins of specific rhythms
Fun Music Games and Activities
Composition
Improvisation
Body Rhythms
Literacy in reading and writing music notation
Common Core Standards alignment in DOE schools
INSTRUMENTS
Congas, Bongos, Cajon, Log drums, Djembe, Auxiliary percussion and Bucket Drumming
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
THE AMERICAN COMPOSER'S ORCHESTRA
Director of Programming Kevin James - kevin@americancomposers.org
2022- current - MS 427 Manhattan Academy for Arts and Language
South American, African, and Hip Hop Drumming instruction, music literacy, historical origins, and performance
2011-2021 IS 229 Roland Patterson Middle School- Bronx, Ny.
Drumming, Choral and Composition Program - Co-directed by Elizabeth and Hugh Fletcher
Winter and Spring concerts annually
2016-2019 The Computer School Ny, NY. -Middle school
In-class Drumming Enrichment- Performance based residency
2006-current
Elizabeth has received extensive training in The Leadership Program’s research-based Socio-Emotional Learning curriculum. Applying activities in Leadership, Self Esteem, and Conflict Resolution helps students gain life skills, balanced with learning percussion curriculum. The Leadership Program has won multiple national awards for their progressive ideas in Youth Development and have many teaching artists on staff. As Music Content Specialist for the Leadership Program, Elizabeth facilitated workshops to help teaching artists maximize content, gain strength in classroom management skills, share ideas, and collaborate with one another.
Elizabeth’s Leadership Program school residencies
2006-2025:
Specific dates@schools and references furnished upon request.
Director of Programming- Tarmstrong@tlpnyc.com
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
PS K315 Elementary School- Brooklyn, Ny.
The Raymond York Elementary School -Queens, Ny.
PS 288 The Shirley Tannyhill School- Brooklyn, Ny.
IS 137 Rachel Jean Mitchell Elementary School Brooklyn, Ny.
PS 95 The Gravesend Elementary School- Brooklyn, Ny.
PS 81 Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School- Brooklyn, Ny.
PS 96 Richard Rogers Elementary School- Bronx, Ny. (Virtual learning)
PS K134- Brooklyn, Ny.
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Poughkeepsie Middle School- Poughkeepsie, Ny.
IS 271 John Coleman Middle School- Brooklyn, Ny.
IS 392 Middle School- Brooklyn, Ny.
JHS 185 Edward Bleeker Junior High- Flushing, Ny.
East Flatbush Community Research School- Brooklyn, Ny.
MS 137 America's School of Heroes- Queens, Ny
HIGH SCHOOLS
John Dewey High School- Brooklyn, Ny.
August Martin High School- Queens, Ny.
Martin Van Buren High School- Queens, Ny.
JAZZHOUSE KIDS, NY,NY. 2021-2025
Artistic Director -Christian McBride
RHYTHM MAKERS- World Drumming which includes music literacy,folkloric and contemporary rhythms,improvisation. and annual performances at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
2013-2020
Extreme Kids and Crew @ PS 15 special needs
14th Street YMCA- children with disabilities
Girls Prep Lower East Side Elementary
2010-2019
Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Afterschool World Drumming
Summer Youth Camp- Song and Drumming
2012-2020.
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Early childhood Song and Drum
Summer Youth Camp - Percussion and Song Composition
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL CONTRACTS
Park Slope, Brooklyn:
2010-2012 PS 10 Magnet School of Math Science and Technology Elementary After school World Drumming
2010-2019 PS 295 The Studio School of Arts and Culture- Elementary After School World Drumming
2006-2007
THE POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE NON-PROFIT YOUTH ORGANIZATION
New York, NY.
Youth Community Music and Drumming Classes
1994-current
PRIVATE INSTRUCTION
Seattle,Wa., Brooklyn, Manhattan, Catskill Mountains
Primarily Conga and Bongo instruction of folkloric Afro-Cuban, Carribean and Brazilian rhythms
