BERKLEY SCHOOLS

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'ATTENGill ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

WWW.BERKLEYSCHOOLS.ORG
June 4, 2010
To Whom It May Concern:
It is with pleasure that I recommend Ms. Tai Kimmerly for a general music and/or vocal music teaching position in your
district. Tai is currently the kindergarten through fourth grade general music teacher and fifth grade choir director at
Pattengill Elementary School in the Berkley School District in Berkley, Michigan. As the principal of Pattengill
Elementary School, I have the opportunity to observe Tai's interactions with parents, staff members, and students, and
I always appreciate her creativity, her passion for music education, and her ability to self reflect to improve her
practice.
Tai subscribes to the Teaching for Musical Understanding (T.M.U.) approach to music education, whereby students
construct their own knowledge through exploration and experimentation. Tai, therefore, artfully balances the vocal
and instrumental as well as the performance and composition components of music education. She juggles six grade
levels of curriculum yet always keeps the end in sight, such that each grade level's experiences built on the previous
year's skills. Her lessons enable students to interact with her, each other, and the subject matter in creative and
thoughtful ways, and students showcase their unique personalities through genuine effort. In Tai's music classes,
students felt comfortable making mistakes, as mistakes are accepted and used to propel further learning. Tai's
engaging lessons coupled with her unique personality style generate an active, engaging, and "musically noisy"
classroom environment.
Tai constantly reflects on and modifies her teaching practice, the most important component of professional
development. She knows herself well and is able to identify her strengths and weaknesses. She has shown
tremendous growth in the areas of classroom management and her ability to build relationships with students over
time. She simply wants her students to love and appreciate music, and she will research material, dialogue with
colleagues both in and out of the building, and attend workshops to make this happen.
I feel confident that Tai will work tirelessly in whatever position she acquires. She will accept feedback, share her
ideas, and work collaboratively to make her music program a success. Above all, her spunky, energetic personality will
enrich your entire school family the way that she does ours. Please feel free to call me at (248) 837-8701 for further
information in support of Ms. Tai Kimmerly. I hope that you will enjoy her as much as I do.
Sincerely,

Daryl Robbins
Principal

DARYL ROBBINS, PRINCIPAL

3540 MORRISON AVENUE
BERKLEY, Ml 48072
P: 248-837-8700 F: 248-435-0184