Untalan teacher uses rhythm to connect with students
Prior to becoming a teacher, Christine Pama-Thiesen was a wedding singer who wanting something more fulfilling.
December 25, 2014Updated: December 26, 2014
By KUAM News
By KUAM News by Joan Aguon Charfauros
Guam - Prior to becoming a teacher, Christine Pama-Thiesen was a wedding singer who wanting something more fulfilling. "My sister would talk to me about her class, her students and how they are progressing, and I was like, 'Man, I want those stories!'" she recalled.
And although she enjoyed being a wedding singer, Pama-Thiesen wanted something long term and stable. So having a bachelors degree in music with a specialization in voice, she went back to college and obtained her masters in education and has since been teaching general music and choir at the Barrigada school for about four years now. "The general music is more about learning how to read music and learn how to read," she explained.
Teaching students in music is a bit more difficult than subjects like math or English, because students are required to perform, so her teaching methods vary. She said, "Sometimes I let the kids conduct the sessions. I'll let them go up on the board and count the rhythms, but its more about demonstrating what they've learned."
She admits one of the biggest challenges for the music program is funding, saying, "We have to fundraise a lot for many of the instruments. We have performances that are outside of the school because transportation can become an issue."
Pama-Thiesen hopes that when her students move on that they have a greater appreciation and outlook for the performing arts. She said, "I want my students to at least carry it with them, to appreciate how to create these harmonies, how to perform, like they are really into it instead of being shy." She added, "The first performances are usually really nerve wrecking for them and you can see it, the more you expose them, the more they get comfortable."
Guam - Prior to becoming a teacher, Christine Pama-Thiesen was a wedding singer who wanting something more fulfilling. "My sister would talk to me about her class, her students and how they are progressing, and I was like, 'Man, I want those stories!'" she recalled.
And although she enjoyed being a wedding singer, Pama-Thiesen wanted something long term and stable. So having a bachelors degree in music with a specialization in voice, she went back to college and obtained her masters in education and has since been teaching general music and choir at the Barrigada school for about four years now. "The general music is more about learning how to read music and learn how to read," she explained.
Teaching students in music is a bit more difficult than subjects like math or English, because students are required to perform, so her teaching methods vary. She said, "Sometimes I let the kids conduct the sessions. I'll let them go up on the board and count the rhythms, but its more about demonstrating what they've learned."
She admits one of the biggest challenges for the music program is funding, saying, "We have to fundraise a lot for many of the instruments. We have performances that are outside of the school because transportation can become an issue."
Pama-Thiesen hopes that when her students move on that they have a greater appreciation and outlook for the performing arts. She said, "I want my students to at least carry it with them, to appreciate how to create these harmonies, how to perform, like they are really into it instead of being shy." She added, "The first performances are usually really nerve wrecking for them and you can see it, the more you expose them, the more they get comfortable."