About Mr D

Grammy Music Educator Quarterfinalist for 2017:
Link to Video #1
Link to Video #2.
Link to Video #3 (Teaching Example).

NAFME Webinar on S-Cubed Program January 2014.
Link to it!

Article in Choral Director Magazine March 2014.
Link to it!

Article in ChorTeach for ACDA Winter 2015.
Link to it!

Articles also in ChorTeach for ACDA; Presenting at Georgia ACDA Summer 2014.  Presented at GMEA in 2011 and 2013.  Numerous District and Local presentations in the state of Georgia. Presenting in Iowa in 2016.

I have taught middle school students for well over 20 years.  I currently teach over 340 un-auditioned choral students.  I have up to 84 students in one class by myself.  I could never have managed that as a young teacher, but along the way, I have learned several tips and tricks to help me successfully manage this age group of students in a positive learning environment.

I started my career in North Carolina where I taught for 5 years. In the beginning, I struggled enormously with classroom management.  My middle school students totally "ran over me".  I was unstructured, inconsistent and ineffective.  I was discouraged and felt like a total failure.  I felt alone.  I thought often about quitting teaching and doing something else.  I was armed with a masters degree and absolutely no idea how to teach this age group.

I am not a quitter, so I kept going.  I observed other teachers, and slowly began to figure a couple of things out that helped me hang in there.

I continued my career in New Jersey for the next 6 years.  It was there that I saw an amazingly gifted choral educator who had created the most magnificent middle school choral program I had ever seen.  She graciously allowed me to observe her teaching a few times, and that was when things began to click for me.  I began to realize how to relate to and successfully teach this age group.  That is when my programs began to grow exponentially.

I currently teach in Atlanta, GA.

During my career, I have taught children from every socio-economic and cultural background and strongly believe in the public school system. They all can learn.  It is our job to reach them.  We must figure it out, or move on to another career.

With modern technology, new and struggling middle school teachers can reach out on the internet and get the support they need, and that is part of what I want to help provide here in my blog.

Masters of Music from University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Bachelor's of Music from University of North Carolina at Greensboro
For 2014, I am scheduled to present my materials at Georgia ACDA Convention in June and later in the fall at South Carolina's ACDA Convention.
Recent NAFME Webinar:
NAFME Webinar
Sight Singing Article in Choral Director Magazine 2014
2015 ChorTeach Article "Why Won't My Middle School Choir Sing?!?"