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Joanna Turner Staff Photo
Subjects Taught
Music

Education

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  • Henry County High School class of 2003.
  • Bachelor of Music Education from UT Martin (2007).
  • Master's of Science in Education (Curriculum and Instruction) from UTM (2012)
  • World Music Drumming Level 1 (2016)
    • World Music Drumming is a curriculum created by Will Schmid in 1996, and is now used in over 20,000 schools worldwide. This method teaches focus, listening, teamwork, and respect, while giving students an amazing glimpse into various cultures around the world. To learn more, visit http://www.worldmusicdrumming.com/
  • Orff-Schulwerk Level I (University of Missouri, St. Louis, 2016)
  • Orff-Schulwerk Level II (UMSL, 2017)
  • Orff-Schulwerk Level III (UMSL, 2018)
    • The Orff-Schulwerk method of music education was developed by composer Carl Orff and his colleague Gunild Keetman in the 1920s. This method combines music, drama, movement, and speech to teach music in a way that is very similar to the way children naturally play. The Orff approach is very child-centered, and allows students to learn about music in a very non-formal, experimental way. To learn more, visit http://aosa.org/


Experience

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  • In the past, I have been an instructor at various high school band camps, and I have taught private clarinet and piano lessons.
  • This is my 14th year teaching music at McKenzie Elementary School!


Bio

 

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Hello!  My name is Joanna Turner, and I am the PreK-4 music specialist at McKenzie Elementary School. I grew up in Paris, TN, so I have been your neighbor for a while now! I live here in McKenzie with my husband Jeremy, our dogs (Boomer and Stella), and our cats (Frankie, Johnnie, Willie, and Fisher).

 

 I have always had an interest in music. I began taking piano lessons in first grade, and took them all the way through the summer after my high school graduation.  As a fourth grader, I became part of an auditioned community youth choir, the Paris Young Singers. During my three years as a member of PYS, I was given the opportunity to travel to places I'd never been. These places included New York City, Washington D.C., and New Orleans, Louisiana. As a middle school student, I joined the band at Henry School and began learning to play the clarinet. Throughout junior high and high school, I attended any honor band that happened to be in the surrounding areas, and participated in solo and ensemble every year. I do not remember a time in my life when music was not a huge part of it. There was never a question about what I would choose to study in college.

 

In the fall of 2003, I entered the University of Tennessee at Martin as a K-12 Music Education major. I focused on the clarinet as my major instrument. During my time at UTM, I participated in the UTM Skyhawk Marching Band, the Wind Ensemble, the Clarinet Choir, the Piano Ensemble and the University Singers. I am also a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, which is a women's music fraternity.  In order to obtain my degree, I took methods classes in woodwind, brass, strings, percussion, and voice. I also studied music history and music theory. After I took my first music education course, I knew that I wanted to work with elementary school students.

 

I look forward to going to work every day, because I love sharing music with my students. Music has truly been a blessing in my life, and I hope that my students can experience the joys and opportunities that are possible through music.

 

“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.” - Arthur O’Shaughnessy