Music In The Meadow

Hi, I’m Anna Hanks. I have taught elementary general music to grades pre-K to six for the past nine years at three different schools in Massachusetts, Washington, and Florida. In addition to my public school experience, I have taught private music lessons and parent/child music classes to children from birth to five years old. Hi, I’m Leah Riggs. I have been teaching elementary general music in the Central Kitsap School District for sixteen years. In addition to teaching k-6 elementary music, I spent the first 6 years of my career teaching elementary visual art. Another passion of mine is curriculum development, and I have had the opportunity to serve on both the Washington State Arts Cadre, and the National Arts Standards subcommittee for grades 3-5. We met while we were both teaching in Central Kitsap and realized that our teaching approaches and level of passion for our subject were very similar and have enjoyed collaboration of all kinds ever since.

Our classrooms are full of music making, magic and fun! Anna has completed Orff levels one and two and participated in the This World Music Ghanaian drumming course. Leah has completed level one Orff training and level one certification in World Music Drumming. However, our teaching styles are influenced by many different pedagogical practices, ensuring that our students are fully engaged in music learning.

In 2015 Leah was voted Teacher of the Year in her building. In addition, we both agree that the best reward is watching our students succeed in the classroom and during performances. The best awards are the personal notes parents and students write to us when they have felt good about music making.

Leah earned her Bachelor’s of Music Education from the University of Idaho, and her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University. Anna earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

We have enjoyed making these books together. The collaboration has not only helped our friendship grow to new levels, but has kept us close even as our lives have physically moved in different directions. We hope our books bring a touch of wonder to your classrooms and homes, as it has brought to ours, and we would love to hear your feedback!