Hello! I’m Stephanie Anne Kelln. Thank you for coming to my blog!
About Me . . .
I have been teaching elementary music to K-5 students since 2001. I have taught general music, choir, band, guitar, piano, as well as dance and drama. I am passionate about teaching and learning. I received my Bachelor’s of Music Education in 2001 from the University of Northern Colorado. I went back to UNC for my Orff-Schulwerk certification levels I, II, and III. For more information about the Orff method of teaching music, click here to go to the American Orff-Schulwerk Association website.
Recently, I felt the need to increase my knowledge of how children learn and earned a master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Northern Colorado in December 2018.
I have taught in high, low, and middle socioeconomic schools throughout Denver and the surrounding areas. I also spent a few summers volunteer teaching in Haiti and Mexico. From 2012-2019 I taught general music at Centennial Elementary School in Greeley, Colorado. Centennial is a Title I school with a very diverse population. I loved teaching at Centennial, where the staff and students were like family to me. In 2019, I made a move to Tozer Primary School in Windsor, Colorado. I now teach music to only kindergarten, first, and second grades. It is a wonderful opportunity to hone my skills by focusing on the youngest and most precious of our students.
On a personal note, I live in Loveland with my husband, two kids, and our dog and cat. I love to read, do crafts, go hiking and camping, and spend time with my wonderful family. I hope to provide experience and knowledge to teachers about how children learn and the best way to help them grow.
About Julio . . .
The short answer is that Julio is my guitar.
Since you’re still reading, here’s the long answer. I bought my guitar at a time when I was teaching class guitar at a school in Denver with a large Spanish-speaking population. I was discussing with my students the practice some famous guitarists have of naming their guitars. (For example, the late and great B.B. King named his guitar ‘Lucille.’) When my students asked me what I had named my guitar I had to confess I hadn’t given it any thought yet.
At around the same time, I heard the song “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” by Paul Simon on the radio. I’d always been a Paul Simon fan, but I heard the song with new ears that day. The song brought to mind images of kids causing ‘innocent’ trouble, hanging out on the playground after school, and general fun times related to school. At once I knew I had to name my guitar ‘Julio.’
So, me and Julio hang out down by the schoolyard, teaching kids music, playing games, singing songs, and generally having a lot of fun.
Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard 