GST BOCES congratulates

Jessica Brown
of V.E.W. Primary School in Bath, NY

Jessica M. Brown teaches General Music, recorders and 3^rd grade chorus to 1st-3^rd grades at Vernon E. Wightman Primary School in Bath.  She is a teacher who always goes the extra mile for her students and, in order to make good on her resolve to expose her students to enriching Arts in Education experiences, she was one of the people responsible for bringing Glenn Colton to V.E.W. Primary School. She had witnessed Colton's amazing performances when she was a teacher in the Horseheads Central School District.

Jessica has a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Taylor University in Indiana and a Master’s Degree in Music Performance (piano and chamber music) from Ball State University in Indiana. She taught piano, music theory and sight-singing classes at Ball State for two years and was a professional accompanist, and then finally became a public school teacher.  She taught at Big Flats Elementary in Horseheads for six years, and then switched to Bath. 

In addition to Glenn Colton's program, she and fellow staff members invited Tri Cities Opera to come to their school from the Tri Cities Opera Company to do a residency with their students this year based on the Opera Go-Round. The 3^rd grade chorus (120 of them) learned the children’s chorus part to “The Three Little Pigs” and they did two performances with them on stage. Jessica "hopes it’s an experience they’ll never forget!" 

For the future,  Jessica would like "to become a better teacher every day, and to open children’s minds, hearts and ears to arts from all around the world."

The thing Jessica likes the best about teaching is working with children, and helping them to be successful.   She uses music as a tool to teach basic life skills to her students – self-control, perseverance, cooperation, listening….and so many others!

Jessica became interested in the arts when she started taking piano lessons at the age of 5.  She then went on to study many other instruments and voice.  She was introduced to opera in college and fell in love with it.  Growing up, she didn’t have much exposure to the arts,  so Jessica is determined that her students will not experience this same deprivation. V.E.W. Primary School in Bath is most fortunate to have an exemplary faculty including teachers such as Jessica Brown! 

Glenn Colton 

V.E.W. Primary School Arts Students in the News

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