What are you doing to be creative during this pandemic?
During the Tiger King phase of the pandemic, I was actually making a dress and some masks. My mom is a seamstress and quilter and she gave me her old sewing machine, so I’ve been (slowly) making my own clothes but I’ll probably be 40 by the time they’re done. I’ll keep you updated.
How long have you worked at CMCB? (what department instrument)
I’ve been at CMCB since June 2019, so a little over a year. I am currently a teaching artist three different schools in the Boston Public School system as well as percussion faculty in our Early Childhood Department and also have my own private studio. So yeah, a lot but I love it!
What do you like best about teaching here?
I love how supportive and open to learning new things the entire CMCB community is. The diverse perspectives of my coworkers and students have really allowed me to grow as a teacher and person.
Do you have any favorite events or moments that you would like to share?
One that sticks out is my Early Childhood class at last year’s Performathon. This was the first time my students have ever performed in front of an audience. It was amazing to see one of my more shy students absolutely blossom and kill it on stage and show no sign of stage fright up in front of an audience of strangers. As someone who has struggled with performance anxiety (and still does), I was so amazed to see these tiny humans go up there like it was nothing and played their hearts out on drum set.
Do you have any projects or upcoming events that you would like to share?
I am the Co-Founder of the En Root Ensemble, a collective of culturally diverse musicians who create artistic experience relevant to the communities that we serve.
En Root is launching an entirely online educational and performance series starting September 16th. Each week, we will be offering free musical content that covers a wide range of topics that aim to celebrate the perspectives of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) in music. These topics range from African-American music history to how parents and caregivers can best facilitate online music instruction during a global pandemic. You can find a synopsis of our Fall 2020 Program at enrootensemble.org
You can check out my website and blog at emmakterrell.com!
