2009 CCSME Faculty
Kendall Allen has worked as a music specialist in Plano ISD for six years. During his career, Kendall has directed the Plano ISD choir, Plano Children's Chorale (PCC), for four years. PCC was invited to perform as an exhibition choir at the Texas Music Educators Conference in 2007. PCC is for Plano ISD 5th graders that are identified as exceptional musicians through audition and music teacher recommendations. Kendall has also founded and directed two elementary school choruses and recorder ensembles. He received his Bachelor of Music Education at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa and has three levels of Kodály certification through the OAKE endorsed training program at the University of North Texas. Most recently, he was chosen as the Experienced Teacher of the Year at Schell Elementary School. He was then chosen as one of the top five elementary teachers in Plano ISD.
Gay Baker deMontel (Kodály) is a music specialist in Port Aransas, Texas, where she is designing and implementing a Kodály-inspired curriculum. Previously, Gay held teaching positions in Kerrville and Plano, where she was a director of the Plano Children’s Chorale. She earned a Bachelors degree from Southwest Texas State University, and she completed her Kodály certification in the Round Top Program at Festival Hill. Gay is a member of OAKE and TMEA, and she is a past board member of Kodály Educators of Texas. Gay has taught Kodály training courses through Plano ISD and Westminster Choir College, and she has presented numerous workshops for music teachers.
Michael Chandler (Orff Schulwerk) is classroom music specialist at Parkway Elementary in Lewisville, where he directs the Parkway Panther Choir and the fifth grade instrumental and movement ensemble, Schulspiel. In 2005, Schulspiel performed for the Texas Orff Chapters Reception at the annual TMEA clinic/convention in San Antonio. He is the accompanist for the Lewisville ISD Fifth Grade Honor Choir and is a past president of the North Texas Chapter of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA). Michael currently serves as a member of the National Board of AOSA. In 2005, he presented in the Recorder Teacher Training Session at the AOSA National Conference in Birmingham, Alabama. In addition to his teaching at SMU, Michael is an instructor in the Orff levels training courses at the University of St. Thomas.
Steven Friedson (Making Music in West Africa) is Regents Professor of Music and Anthropology at the University of North Texas. Dr. Friedson is an internationally recognized expert on musical experience in African ritual. He has been taking groups to Ghana for more than fifteen years. His latest book, Remains of Ritual (University of Chicago Press), focuses on music and the Brekete religion of the Ewe people of the Volta Region.
David Gadberry (Kodály) is a doctoral student in Music Education at the University of Kansas. Previously he was a music specialist in Plano ISD teaching grades K-5. He completed Orff certification at SMU and Kodály certification with the Plano ISD Kodály Training Program. David served as pedagogy teacher assistant and folk music materials intern with the UNT/Plano ISD Kodály Training Program. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. During his graduate studies, David was a folk music graduate assistant, collecting and transcribing folk songs and play parties. He has served as North Texas Representative for Kodály Educators of Texas (KET) and he is currently Secretary on the national board of OAKE. David has presented workshops at the local, state, and national levels for groups such as Plano ISD, KET, TMEA, Mississippi MEA, Oklahoma Kodály Educators, and the Green Country Orff Association.
Karen Gentry (Kodály) has served on the faculty of Plano’s Kodály Training Program since its inception. She completed her Kodály certification at Round Top, Texas and completed two summers of Orff training in Memphis, TN. She earned BM and MM degrees from The University of Texas. Her experiences include teaching music to pre-school students in a Montessori setting and working as an elementary music specialist – most recently in a bi-lingual school. She has mentored students for UT, UNT, and SMU. She has been a guest speaker for college students and is now conducting workshops for professional music teachers. Karen helped to establish The Younger Generation, a community choir that continues to serve outstanding Plano youth and is a recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award in Education from the city of Plano. She has served as Secretary for the Southern Division of OAKE.
Lenke Igo (Kodály) is a graduate of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Hungary and a former director of the Hungarian Radio and Television Children's Chorus. Currently, she is Chair of the Theory and Solfege Department at the Bela Bartók Conservatory of Music and Conducting Professor at Eötvös University in Budapest. Lenke is a master teacher of the Kodály method, having taught courses and conducted choirs throughout the United States, as well as in Great Britain, Greece, Japan, Canada, Korea, and Hungary.
Cecile Johnson (Kodály) is a Kodály music specialist at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Denton, Texas, where she teaches K-5th grade music. In addition, she is director of the school's All-Star Choir, which has commissioned more than 28 new works for treble choir and was selected as a TMEA Elementary Honor Choir twice: in 1998 and in 2005. She holds degrees from Lowell State College and the University of Northern Iowa and completed an OAKE-endorsed Kodály certificate at the University of North Texas. Cecile is a Past-President of Kodály Educators of Texas and also has served as Southern I Representative on the OAKE National Board of Directors. She has been a frequent clinician at TMEA and OAKE conferences and has taught staff development sessions for numerous Texas school districts. Cecile has been an instructor in the Plano ISD Kodály teacher training program since 2002.
Phyllis King (Kodály) is the Content and Engagement Specialist for Fine Arts in Killeen ISD, following 12 years as an elementary music specialist in Plano ISD. She has over 27 years of experience as a music educator, having taught students at all levels. Phyllis holds a B.M.E., an M.A., and Kodály Certification, all from Sam Houston State University. In addition, she completed a year of study at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary, a 3 week seminar in Kecskemet, and returned for two weeks as part of a study tour in November 2005. In addition to the UNT program, Phyllis has taught in Kodály training courses through Plano ISD, Killeen ISD, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, James Madison University, Coe College, and Georgia State University. She has conducted numerous workshops at the local, state and national levels. Phyllis has served as KET president, Representative on the National OAKE board, Local Program Chair for an OAKE national convention, Chair of the Music Assessment Committee for Plano ISD, and she is currently working on her Leadership/Principals Certification.
Kathy Kuddes (Kodály Lead Teacher) is Director of Fine Arts for Plano ISD and the Founder/Coordinator of the Plano Kodály Teacher Training Program. She has Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Music Education, a Kodály Teacher Training Certificate, and Texas Supervisor Certification. Kathy has taught students from Pre-K through the college graduate level, has presented numerous workshops for elementary music teachers, and co-authored the latest revision of the Plano ISD Elementary Music Curriculum. In the summer of 2003, Kathy presented a workshop at the conference of the International Kodály Society in Australia. In addition, she is a past member of the board of the Organization of American Kodály Educators and of Kodály Educators of Texas.
Darla Meek (Orff Schulwerk) serves as Lecturer in Music Education at Texas A & M University-Commerce after fifteen years’ experience teaching elementary children music, drama, and movement. She holds a Bachelor’s of Music Education from Dallas Baptist University, and a Master’s of Music at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. As a certified Orff specialist, Darla now serves the American Orff-Schulwerk Association as a teacher trainer in both pedagogy and movement. She often presents staff development clinics for music educators in Texas and in Louisiana, and is Vice President of the North Texas Chapter of AOSA.
Julie Scott (CCSME Director/Orff Schulwerk) is Lecturer in Music Education at Southern Methodist University and Director of the Center for Contemporary Studies in Music Education at the University of North Texas. She is pursuing a Ph.D. at Eastman School of Music, where she was Assistant Professor of Music Education for one year. Prior to teaching at the university level, Julie taught elementary music in Texas schools for 17 years. She has taught summer Orff Schulwerk courses to adults at six universities, and has presented workshops for MENC, AOSA, OAKE and to numerous state MEAs, school districts and Orff chapters throughout the US. She has presented sessions internationally at conferences in Italy (ISME), Thailand (CMS) and Australia (IKS). Julie currently serves as Vice President of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association.