Music Educator Spotlight
Mikayla Murphy is the music, chorus, and beginning band teacher at New Hope Elementary School in Henry County. Prior to her appointment at New Hope, she was a marching assistant for the Union Grove High School Marching Band. For the past two years, she has taught general music to students in kindergarten-fifth grade, third-fifth grade chorus, and fourth-fifth grade beginning band. Ms. Murphy also leads monthly grade-level performances and directs the all-school musical. The New Hope Bright Knight Honor Chorus often performs for the community and participates in multiple honor chorus events. In 2023, the chorus was invited to perform with the Tara Winds adult community band. In 2024, the chorus was invited to perform for the annual Tree Lighting event at Tanger Outlets. Ms. Murphy's grade-level choral groups also perform concerts centered around special periods of commemoration and holidays such as Veteran’s Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Black History Month, and President’s Day. Her students have attended the Henry County Schools Honor Chorus, GMEA Statewide Elementary Honor Chorus, Berry College Elementary/Middle Choir Festival, and Spivey Hall Elementary Honor Choir. She also has students that have gone on to be selected by their teachers for Statewide Honor Chorus at the sixth-grade level and lead parts in school musicals.
Ms. Murphy enjoys learning and attending many professional development events. Her passions include literacy in music, working with the unchanged voice, expressive choral/instrumental performance, elements of expressive conducting, exploring music of different cultures, and cross-curricular connections. She takes joy in providing a wide variety of experiences for her students and exposes them to all genres of music. Ms. Murphy holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Clayton State University where she studied clarinet under Mr. Stacey Houghton, performed in the university chorale/orchestra/band, and held leadership positions in university ensembles. She resides in Locust Grove, GA with her dad and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Can you describe what a typical day looks like for you in the classroom?
I usually come in early before school to have morning rehearsal in the music room with individual band or chorus students. Once the day gets going, I teach music class to all grade levels before having a full band or chorus rehearsal in the afternoon. This looks different for every group, but there is lots of singing, moving, creating, playing instruments, analyzing, and connecting all day long!
What have been the biggest challenges you've faced during your first year as a music teacher?
Last year as a first year teacher, I really struggled to build relationships with my students as I only saw most of them once a week. It was tough connecting with and engaging kids who did not naturally enjoy music. Another set of challenges included lesson pacing, making transitions in the classroom, and learning how to juggle all the administrative duties of being a music teacher alongside actually teaching.
How have you adjusted your teaching style to meet the diverse needs of your students?
This year, there is more variety in how I deliver instruction. For example, I taught lessons on musical form using several different methods: with a song, with instrument activities, by having students create their own lyrics to a familiar tune using the “B” section of a song, using folk dance, etc.
What were some of your most rewarding moments in your first year?
In May of 2024, I presented my first musical which was Junie B. Jones, The Musical JR. That was the highlight of my year.
How have you handled classroom management, especially in a music classroom environment?
Through experience, I have learned that the best bet with classroom management is keeping the students engaged in a variety of ways, motivating/encouraging them, praising their successes, and using those positive reinforcers.
Have you had to adapt your teaching due to any unexpected circumstances (e.g., remote learning, limited resources, etc.)?
I have been pretty blessed to have lots of resources and materials in my first couple of years teaching, but I do find that I do a lot more rote teaching when buying new sets of sheet music is not in the budget.
Looking back on your first year, what do you wish you had known before starting out as a music teacher?
I wish I had understood more in general about where elementary schoolers are developmentally. It would have helped to better inform classroom management and also lesson delivery.
Can you share a memorable moment from your first year that reminded you why you wanted to be a music teacher?
Towards the end of the year during teacher appreciation week, so many students wrote sweet notes telling me all they learned in class. I had students tell me they not only learned about music, but understood more of what it means to work as a team and be kind.
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