Becky Johnson: Young Children Learn Through Experience

Meet LPM Teacher, Becky Johnson
 

I’m located in Shawnee, Kansas—a suburb of Kansas City—and started teaching Let’s Play Music in January of 2010.  I currently teach 10 classes a week.  Looking back, I’ve always loved music.  I took piano lessons for 9 years—thank you Mom!!  And I sang in my high school choir and jazz choir.   I still sing with my church choir and have led children’s choirs for many years.  Funny that my college degree is Business Management with an emphasis in Information Systems!  

One of my other “jobs” is teaching Music & Movement at a preschool (not LPM curriculum).  I find it natural to draw a little person into singing and keep them engaged!  Who knew this was a talent someone could have!?
 
How did you find out about LPM?

A very persistent friend kept inviting my 2 oldest children to attend a Sample

Class.  After more than a year I finally agreed to go and was impressed most with the “Puppet Shows” as a way of introducing a love and understanding of classical music.  She showed me the 2nd and 3rd Year Songbooks/repertoire, and I LOVED that they started the kiddos playing chords first.  I signed-up and got several other kiddos signed-up as well!

Sadly, after 3 years she informed me that she would only be in the area for another 2 years—she was moving before my youngest daughter would be old enough to start LPM, and she was the only teacher for 500 miles!  I talked to my
children’s private piano teacher and she was already interested after seeing what my kids could do!  Score!  However, several months into teaching Let’s Play Music her husband changed jobs requiring they move 2 hours away.  She asked me if I would take over her classes and I was pretty excited!  I had been asking questions about the application process for several years and now 2 classes were just handed to me.  I’d been watching and participating in Let’s Play Music classes for 5 ½  years straight before I started teaching my own classes starting with the Blue Bug semester! 

What element of the curriculum do you love the most?

My absolute favorite LPM song is “Let’s Find the Root”, in the last semester.  It’s such a jazzy-funky song that always gets me grooving.  It was hysterical that when I was training to teach 3rd year I was asked to perform this song!  No one knew it was my fave.

Because I also teach at a preschool, I am required to take continuing educational classes that will help me be a more effective teacher.  These classes make me smile. They repeatedly validate the way we teach in Let’s Play Music! 

Research has shown that young children learn best through experience—by making their own choices and discoveries.  This means you engage all the senses to help them come to a particular conclusion.   I LOVE asking questions and leading them to hear/feel/see musical connections—that “ah-ha” moment is always very gratifying.  Let’s Play Music takes from the very best methodologies in both HOW we teach and WHAT we teach!  What a privilege to a part of a premium quality program.
 

What do you hope students get from your class?

I started doing this for my children and I continue because there are so many other children/families whose lives will be enriched.  My hope is for every student to know that I love them and that we had a TON of fun while they gained a love of music.  Of course, it would be a bonus to know that they continued on in music in some fashion—voice or instrument.

Sign up for a class with Becky, here!