The following is an interview with Teresa Coelho, director and teacher of Music Together of Salem/Marblehead, conducted by Discover Marblehead. Coelho teaches music and movement classes for children from birth to the age of 5 years old, and the adults who love them. The Marblehead classes are held at the UU Church of Marblehead at 28 Mugford Street. To learn more, go to musictogethersalem.com.
Tell us about Music Together of Salem/Marblehead.
I started teaching the Music Together program in the fall of 2006. The short answer for my why is: I started teaching music because of my deep passion for music. My long answer as a music educator is that I believe music education is essential for young children because it supports all areas of development and creates community. When my son was little, together we visited a few music and movement classes. What really stood out to me about Music Together was how thoughtfully the program was put together, I could clearly see that it had been based well-respected music education methods, like Orff and Dalcroze, and especially based on the teachings of the great American music educator Edwin Gordon who had a vast research on how children learn music.
The classes introduce children to a rich variety of musical elements — different scales, tempos, genres and time signatures — all in an age-appropriate way and most importantly fun.
What is the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received? To pay attention to the community needs. After all, my decision to start teaching the program was to serve the community and promote music education.
What is your favorite spot in Marblehead, and why? It’s hard to choose one spot as my favorite in this cute little town but I’d go with the old part of town due to its historic buildings.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? One thing people might not expect from a musician/music educator is that I value silence as much as I love music.
The business spotlight is a weekly feature published in partnership with Discover Marblehead. Discover Marblehead is dedicated to the promotion of our seaside town. Our mission is to highlight local businesses, tourism, community events and attractions through social media, email marketing and community outreach. To learn more, visit discovermhd.com.
