“Orchestra is home,” says this month’s outstanding teacher, Kristi Harrington, orchestra teacher at White Station Middle School. Harrington taught orchestra in western Massachusetts outside of Springfield before moving to Tennessee. Even though Harrington enjoyed Massachusetts, she decided to relocate to the warmer climate in Memphis.
“Orchestra is home,” says this month’s outstanding teacher, Kristi Harrington, orchestra teacher at White Station Middle School. Harrington taught orchestra in western Massachusetts outside of Springfield before moving to Tennessee. Even though Harrington enjoyed Massachusetts, she decided to relocate to the warmer climate in Memphis.
“I began teaching here at what was then Memphis City Schools,” Harrington says. “I taught in the MCS district for several years, teaching at Overton High School and beginning strings at numerous elementary schools.”
It was here in Memphis where she met her husband and relocated to Nashville. While in Nashville, Harrington taught private lessons and maintained a private studio of teaching violin and viola. The family decided to move back to Memphis in 2011. “It just seemed natural at the time to return and pick up where we left off,” she says.
“Upon our return, I taught private lessons for a while,” says Harrington, “but then was hired back to work for what is now Memphis-Shelby County Schools. I have been working for the district ever since our return in various positions.” Harrington has been the orchestra director at White Station Middle School for the last six years. She also currently teaches beginning strings at Cordova Elementary, Chimneyrock Elementary, and Rozelle Elementary.
Teaching strings requires a passion for music, a passion to teach, and subject matter knowledge — and Harrington definitely fits the profile. “I love the specialization required to teach strings and the complexity it requires to teach it and make it achievable for young learners,” she says. “I am at my best in the classroom when we are in the thick of learning our repertoire and technique.”
Harrington’s love for teaching is inspired by her former middle school orchestra teacher and her college viola professor. “I was truly blessed from their teaching, love of music, and wisdom,” she says. “Much of their teaching pedagogy has become a large part of how I teach today. I love music, and I love performing in the orchestral setting.”
Finding your tribe is absolutely essential in a learning environment, and Harrington is proud of her tribe of music students who inspire her every day to keep going and getting better. “I learn from them as much as they are learning from me,” she says. “Performances are also my favorite days. I love for the parents to hear and see the incredible progress their students are making. It gives parents such pride to see their child on the stage performing and being part of such a special group.
“I love teaching students the beginning stages of learning a new instrument and the excitement when they accomplish a new skill,” Harrington continues. “I also love preparing students to perform, and the preparation involved to get to the finish line of the concert or audition.”
Harrington models her classroom to be a safe place, like a home, for students to make mistakes and learn by being supportive. “Developing a safe, comfortable environment for students to grow is crucial to having a fun place for the students to be in every class,” she says. “Orchestra is usually my student’s favorite class, and some of them come to school just because of orchestra every day. I love to see the joy when they light up and see what they can accomplish individually and as a team, because orchestra is a team effort!”
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