Cuthbertson Middle School

Appalachian State University Student Teacher of the Year

North Carolina Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Student Teacher of the Year Finalist

Clinical Educator: Katie Ebert

I had the opportunity to work with the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade bands at Cuthbertson Middle School under the direction of Katie Ebert. Mrs. Ebert has been teaching band and music for 19 years. Mrs. Ebert holds a Master of Music Education degree from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC and a Bachelor of Music Education as well as a Bachelor of Music Performance degree from Armstrong Atlantic State University, Savannah GA. Mrs. Ebert recently served as a guest clinician for the South Central and Northwestern All District Symphonic Honor Bands, and she continues to conduct both Distinct and County bands in the Southeast. Mrs. Ebert is a master teacher and served as a fantastic mentor during student teaching.

Source: cuthbertsonbands.org

Middle School Bands:

My role at Cuthbertson Middle School was to co-direct ensembles and conduct music selections in each of the classes. I taught 8th Grade Band, 7th Grade Advanced Band, 7th Grade Intermediate Band, 6th Grade Woodwinds & Percussion, and 6th Grade Brass & Percussion. For each concert, I had the opportunity to prepare a piece of music for each grade level. There were two concerts throughout the semester: a fall concert and a winter concert. While teaching each of these pieces, I had full control over the class. This gave me the opportunity to learn first-hand how directing my own ensemble. Along with this, I practiced conducting techniques to give students a complete musical experience. The 6th grade ensembles were brand new to their instruments, which prepared me to teach students how to start on their instruments.

Music Theory:

During this semester, the Cuthbertson Music Program was able to offer a music theory class. My role in this class was to be the lead teacher. The class comprised of students who had little to no musical background. I taught the students how to read music as well as create their own compositions. The students created their compositions both using paper and music notation software. The students also had the opportunity to explore modern music techniques with an introduction into music production. During my time teaching this class, I incorporated components of Western Art Music and modern composition techniques. 

Student Teaching Shout-outs

"Kale did SO well on the first observation! Kale was prepared and worked hard before and during the observation to give the students a top-notch musical experience. I was very impressed at how quickly Kale was able to incorporate the feedback from Dr Ross to help the students reach their highest potential. Kale was able to make meaningful change in the moment, which can be a hard thing to do and I am so proud of Kale's growth as a teacher!"

"Kale has been working hard and doing a terrific job with the band students! Kale has put in tons of hard word and many extra hours helping students to reach their potential. I am so fortunate to have such a talented person working with my students!"

—Katie Ebert, Clinical Educator