Singing Canaries/About the Author

Emma Rodríguez Suárez was born and raised in the Canary Islands, Spain . She holds a bachelor of music degree in music education and a master's degree in music education from the Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford , in West Hartford , Connecticut . She also holds a doctor of philosophy in music education from the University of Toronto . Dr. Rodríguez Suárez holds a Level III Orff-Schulwerk Teacher Training certificate and a Kodály Certificate from the Kodály Musical Training Institute. She was awarded an Artist-Teacher Certificate by the Association for Choral Music Education and she also holds a Creating Artistry Conductors Workshop Level III certificate. Dr. Rodríguez Suárez has studied choral conducting under several of the world's top choral directors, including Doreen Rao, Henry Leck , James Jordan, Paul Salamunovich, and Helen Kemp, Janet Galván, Sandra Murphy and Joan Gregoryk. She has also studied music learning theory under Edwin Gordon, choral repertoire under Betty Bertaux, early childhood music development under John Feierabend and Katalin Forrai, and movement under Phyllis Weikart.

Dr. Rodríguez Suárez is the author of Canciones de mi Tierra Española: Islas Canarias/Songs of my Spanish Land : Canary Islands and has published numerous articles. She was also a contributor to the books, Strategies for Teaching: K - 4 General Music, Performance Standards for Music: Grades PreK - 12 and Strategies for Teaching Elementary and Middle-Level Chorus . She has presented many workshops both nationally and internationally, the 2006 27 th International Society for Music Education World Conference, the 2004 Annual Conference of The Society for Ethnomusicology's Education Section, the 2003 Organization of American Kodály Educators National Conference, the 2002 American Choral Directors Association Eastern Division Convention, the 2001 Music Educators National Conference Eastern Division In-Service Conference, the 1998 American Orff-Schulwerk Association National Conference, and the 1998 Organization of American Kodály Educators National Conference. She has also received numerous grants and awards.

In 1992 Dr. Rodríguez Suárez founded the regionally popular Greenwich Public Schools Honor Choir and was its music director. She also was the Connecticut Music Educators Association's Choral Consultant and a Connecticut American Orff-Schulwerk Association Member-At-Large. Dr. Rodríguez Suárez is a former co-conductor of the Fairfield County Children's Choir and in 1997 she received the Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award from the Greenwich ( Connecticut ) public schools where she has taught elementary-level general music since 1992. Dr. Rodríguez Suárez presently teaches music education at Syracuse University .

Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON - November 2005

Master of Music Education, Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT - September 1992
Talent Award recipient

Bachelor of Music in Music Education, Hartt School of Music, University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT - May 1991
Raymond Hanson Piano Scholarship recipient

Kodály Certificate, Kodaly Musical Training Institute, West Hartford, CT - May 1991

Orff Schulwerk Level III Teacher Training Certificate, University of Nevada Las Vegas, NV - July 1999

Edwin Gordon’s Music Learning Theory Level II, University of Hartford, Hartford, CT - July 1996

Artist-Teacher Certificate, Association for Choral Music Education, Dekalb, IL - January 1997

Creating Artistry Conductors Workshop Level III Certificate, Butler University, Indianapolis, IN - June 2000

Choral Conducting - James Litton, Paul Salamunovich, Helen Kemp, Janet Galvan, Joan Gregoryk & Sandra Murphy
Music Learning Theory - Edwin Gordon
Early Childhood Music - John Feierabend and Katalin Forrai
Movement - Phyllis Weikart
Orff Schulwerk - Shirley McRae, Jeff Kriske, Randy DeLelles, Sue Mueller and Vivian Murray
Choral Repertoire - Betty Bertaux

Successfully passed first three BEST Program assessments without a single "unacceptable" mark in any category or sub-category. Further assessments were waived by the state of Connecticut.

Assistant Professor, Teaching and Leadership/ Music Education, Syracuse University, NY, 08/06 - present

Teach general and vocal music undergraduate and graduate classes. Oversee student teachers and write observations.

Music Teacher, The International School at Dundee, CT, 8/02 - 6/06
Teach general music to grades K - 5, conduct choirs for grades 4 and 5, conduct the MET Opera; and conduct band and instrumental lessons for grades 4 and 5. (08/02 - 6/06)

Teach general music to grades K - 5, conduct choirs for grades 4 and 5, and conduct the MET Opera.

Music Teacher, Glenville Elementary School, Greenwich, CT, 8/92 - 8/01
Teach general music to grades K - 5, conduct choirs for grades 4 and 5, and conduct a handbell choir. Named 1997 Greenwich "Distinguished Teacher of the Year".

Music Teacher, Pine Grove Elementary School, Avon, CT, 8/91 - 8/92
Taught general music to grades K-5 and conducted choirs for grades 4 and 5. Organized and conducted several "mini-musicals" for grades 2-4.

Founder/Music Director, Prep & Greenwich Public Schools Honor Choir, 11/92 - 09/00
Comprised of the most talented singers from each of the town’s ten elementary and three middle schools, this group has been invited to perform throughout the region including at the 1999 Valley Forge Heritage Children’s Choir Festival, the Kodaly Organization of New York’s 6th annual children’s choir festival (1996) and the 1995 Connecticut Music Educators Association In-Service Conference.

Co-conductor, Fairfield County Children’s Choir, 8/95 - 6/96
Co-conductor of this regional, non-profit choral organization.

Canciones De Mi Tierra Española: Islas Canarias/Songs of my Spanish Land: Canary Islands, ERPublishing, Author - June 2005

Strategies for Teaching Elementary and Middle-Level Chorus, MENC, June 1997, Contributing Author

Strategies and Benchmarks for Assessing Progress Toward the National Standards, Grades Pre K-12, MENC, March 1996, Contributing Author

Strategies for Teaching K-4 General Music, MENC, January 1996, Contributing Author

American Educational Research Journal: Teaching, Learning, Human Development (AERJ:TLHD) Editorial Team Peer Reviewer, 2006-present

Burton , J. B., & Rodríguez Suárez, E. (2005). “ Multicultural Resources: Selections from New Series” . General Music Today, Winter 2005 (Volume 18, No. 2) , co-author

Rodríguez Suárez, E., & Burton , J. B. (2005). "Multicultural Resources: Ethnomusicologists and Music Educators Join Forces" . General Music Today, Winter 2005 (Volume 18, No. 1), co-author

"Commissioning a New Work: Addressing the Partnership from the Perspective of the Composer and the Commissioning Choir", Troubadour, The ACDA Eastern Division, Vol. X no. 3, April 2002

"Choral Singing in the Elementary School Music Classroom", CMEA News, Spring 1997

Research and Application: A Model of Community Music in the Canary Islands, New York State School Music Association 2006 Conference, Rochester, NY

The Musical Diaspora of the Canary Islands , The 2006 51 st Annual Conference, The Society for Ethnomusicology: Education Section, Honolulu, HA

Differentiated Music Instruction, In-Service Narragansett Regional School District , November 2006, Narragansett, MA

Spanish Songs and Games , A National Symposium on Multicultural Music, University of Tennessee , October 2006, Knoxville, TE

Community Music: What is the Future of Music Education? Global Impact on Music Education, Wayne State University , October 2006, Detroit, MI

The XXIII Musical Forum, Puerto Rico Music Conservatory, October 2006, San Juan, PR

Old Paradigms for New: Symposium on Music Education as Cultural Knowledge and Transformation - Traditional Music Teaching and Learning in the Canary Islands, 27 th ISME 2006 World Conference, July, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Canary Islands: A Model of Community Music, 27 th ISME 2006 World Conference, July, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Old Paradigms for New: Symposium on Music Education as Cultural Knowledge and Transformation - Traditional Music Teaching and Learning in the Canary Islands, Community Music Activity (CMA) Commission, 12 th International Seminar on Community Music, July, Singapore

The XXII Musical Forum, Puerto Rico Music Conservatory, October 2005, San Juan, PR

West Chester University's Samuel Barber Summer Institute in Music Education, Guest instructor for Teaching Ethnic Music, June 2005, West Chester, PA

Teaching the Traditional Spanish Music of the Canary Islands, The 2004 49 th Annual Conference, The Society for Ethnomusicology: Education Section, Tucson , AZ

Singing, The Soul of the Canary Islands, XXVI ISME 2004 World Conference, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Honoring the Feminine: Music for and by Native American Women, assistant, XXVI ISME 2004 World Conference, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Differentiation in the Music Classroom, 2003 Administration Staff Development, Greenwich Public Schools , Greenwich , CT

Singing and Dancing in the Spanish Tradition, 2003 OAKE National Conference, Minneapolis, MN

Choral Reading Session, 2002 4^th Annual CT All State Elementary General Music Conference

Commissioning a New Work: Addressing the Partnership from the Perspective of the Composer and the Commissioning Choir, co-presenter 2002 ACDA Eastern Division Convention, Pittsburgh, PA

How the Arts Insure Students Do Well in School, co-presenter 2001 Greenwich Symphony Orchestra Guild Workshop, Greenwich High School, Greenwich, CT

How the Arts Insure Students Do Well in School, co-presenter 2001 Phi Delta Kappan Workshop, C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University, Long Island, NY

Teaching Traditional Spanish Music to Elementary Vocal Music Students, 2001 MENC Eastern Division In-Service Conference, Pittsburgh, PA

Rehearsal Techniques for Presenting Choral Music To Students, 1998 AOSA National Conference, Tampa, FL

Introducing New Music to the Treble Choir, 1998 Louisiana Music Educators Association State Music Conference, Baton Rouge, LA

Treble Choirs Reading Session, Orff Schulwerk Teacher Training Level I Workshop, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT - July 1997

Treble Choirs Reading Session, 1997 Connecticut Music Educators Association In-Service Conference, Stamford, CT

Fourth Grade Demonstration Class, 1997 Connecticut Music Educators Association In-Service Conference, Stamford, CT

Greenwich Arts Council, 1997
Awarded a grant which permitted the Greenwich Public Schools Honor Choir to commission a new choral piece composed by Francisco Nuñez.

Connecticut Music Educators Association Grant, 1997
Awarded a grant to bring internationally renowned conductor Dr. James Litton to Greenwich to present a workshop for the region’s music teachers and to work with the Greenwich Public Schools Honor Choir.

Travelers Foundation Grant, 1996
Awarded a grant for the Greenwich Public Schools Honor Choir.

Greenwich Education Association Grant, 1995
Awarded a grant for the Greenwich Public Schools Honor Choir.

Music Educators National Conference
State Positions: Choral Consultant, 1996 - 99
"Music In Our Schools Month", Committee Chair, 1996 - 97

American Orff-Schulwerk Association
State Positions: Member-at-Large, 1996 - 99
Awarded the Barbara Potter Scholarship to attend National Conference.

Organization of American Kodaly Educators
State Positions: Member-at-Large, 1996 - 97

Upcoming Professional Events

Presenting a workshop:

Community Music in the Canary Islands : A Gender Issue or a Cultural Issue?, The 5th International Conference for Music Education (RIME), Exeter, England

A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Carnival Traditions of Brazil and the Canary Islands of Spain with Implications and Recommendations for Teaching, Co-presenter, 9th Annual International Conference on Education, The Education Research Unit of the Athens Institute for Education and Research (AT.IN.E.R.), Athens, Greece

Community Music in the Canary Islands : A Gender Issue or a Cultural Issue?, 5th Biennial International Interdisciplinary Conference, Staffordshire, UK

Musical Communities in Islands : Are They Dying? , XVI Australian Society for Music Education (ASME) 40 th Anniversary Conference, Perth, Australia

Virtual Classroom Disabilities Project: Working outside the Box , XVI Australian Society for Music Education (ASME) 40 th Anniversary Conference, Perth, Australia

Spanish Traditional Games: Making Multicultural Learning Easy and Fun!, 2007 AOSA National Conference, San Jose, CA

Spanish Traditional Songs and Games, New York State School Music Association 2007 Winter Conference, Rochester, NY

PACIFICA ! Bringing the Musics of the Pacific Cultures to Your Music Classroom, Co-presenter, New York State School Music Association 2007 Winter Conference, Rochester, NY

Continued research on the music and music teaching and learning of the culture of the Canary Islands.

Publishing volume 2 of my book Canciones de mi Tierra Española: Islas Canarias/Songs of my Spanish Land: Canary Islands.

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