Melissa M.

Richardson
PERSONAL STATEMENT I grew up on a family farm in Wisconsin, U.S.A. Five years ago, I left my teaching position in the U.S. to pursue the adventure of teaching overseas. Teaching abroad in Asia was the best decision I ever made. Without having moved across the world to teach at Seoul Foreign School, a private international day school, I may not have had the confidence and experience to attend Westminster Choir College, the only choral school of its kind in the world, to pursue my Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting. Now that I am nearing the completion of this degree, I plan to return to overseas teaching to take what I have learned back to students in international schools. Prior to pursuing my masters degree, my greatest strength as a choral director was creating community. After spending a year in graduate school, I still believe that connecting with students is my passion. Meanwhile, I have fine-tuned my conducting skills and musical knowledge. While I have always encouraged students to sing their best and experiment with their voices, now I better understand how to create the most beautiful, resonant sounds possible with choirs. I have also enriched my personal musicianship through private voice study and choral performances with professional ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Carnegie Hall Festival Orchestra. I believe that my masters studies have better prepared me to work with a variety of school music ensembles, including instrumentalists, and have also enriched my understanding of theory and music history which strengthen my ability to teach general music and IB Music. I am trained to teach IB Music and served as an Extended Essay advisor at my last school, which had a welldeveloped IB Music program. I understand the course and have access to resources to teach it successfully. In the future, I am interested in becoming more a part of the musical community in which I teach. I have always believed that it is important to use all resources available for faculty and students. For instance, in my last position, I hosted a music education workshop through EARCOS which was attended by thirty music teachers from across Asia. Additionally, my choirs at Seoul Foreign School performed with professional Korean drummers and singers on several occasions in concert. Performances like these help ensure that my choral program is visible within the school, community, country, and also beyond, to other international schools. My overseas experience includes teaching elementary, middle, and high school choirs. I have also taught drama to middle school students, general music to fifth graders, and have assisted with beginning band. This year, I assisted my professors with collegiate ensembles at Westminster Choir College. I have enjoyed the challenge of collegiate conducting, but also appreciate the energy and curiosity of younger students. My students describe me as a patient, flexible, creative teacher with a sense of humor. I believe in taking my students to the edge of their potential without overwhelming them. Consequently, I wish to return to overseas teaching to continue learning about unique cultures and experiences, and also to share my unique musical experiences with students and other musicians. My husband, Daniel Richardson, and I both look forward to contributing to an international school community again as we seek positions in music and science for the 2012-2013 school year.