Students hurrying into Brevard Elementary School's music room are greeted with a giant wall of string instruments, rows of colorful drums and baskets overflowing with instruments from all over the world. The students' attention, however, immediately turns to music teacher Liz Gibbs. They don't know why she has a book cover displayed on the smart board, the same book they're reading in another class. But, they know it's going to be fun.
Interdisciplinary learning is Mrs. Gibbs' jam. The kids might not know it, but their music teacher is always working behind the scenes, collaborating with other educators throughout the school to blend current classroom subjects with top-tier music education. On that particular day, students were learning to enhance their literacy skills by using stomping and clapping beats to sound out words.
Mrs. Gibbs moved to Brevard in 2011 after earning her B.M. in Music Education from Meredith College and her M.M. in Flute Performance from East Carolina University. In addition to being a trained musician and educator, Mrs. Gibbs has her National Board Certification in Early/Middle Childhood music.
On top of teaching music, Mrs. Gibbs leads the BES Performing Arts Club in the fall for 4th-5th grades, and Chorus in the spring for 3rd-5th grades. She also helps lead quarterly awards and the winter performance.
"Mrs. Gibbs is a high-quality leader and educator, every day," BES Principal Mike Kirst said.