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Demerath
Music Education Portfolio
Biography
Grace R. Demerath is currently the Middle School Band Director in Oneonta, New York. At Oneonta
Middle School she teaches 6th-8th Grade Bands and lessons. She also leads a parade marching band and
middle school jazz band. Previous duties in this position have included teaching 6th Grade General Music
and a small percussion ensemble. This year, Demerath has served as the Chairperson for the Otsego
County Music Educators Association Junior High All County Band. Last year, she served as the
Chairperson for the Otsego County Music Educators Association Elementary All County Band.
Demerath attended Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, where she graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor
of Music degree in Music Education. As a horn player, Demerath has performed with the Catskill Valley
Wind Ensemble, Hill City Brass, Ithaca College Wind Ensemble, Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra,
Ithaca College Symphonic Band, Ithaca College Concert Band, Ithaca College Horn Choir, and the Ithaca
College Brass Choir. Demerath has also performed, most notably, Beethoven Symphony No. 9, with the
Ithaca College Chorus. Demerath has studied horn privately with Alexander Shuhan and Dr. Colleen
Conway. This past summer, she began the Summer Master of Music in Music Education program at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Demerath did her senior student teaching at Hilton Central High School, in Hilton New York with Ms.
Nancy Russo. During her senior year, Demerath served as the Collegiate National Association for Music
Education President on the New York State School Music Association Executive Council. In this
position, she was a monthly contributor to School Music News, which is the official publication of the
New York State School Music Association.
Along with Dr. Susan Avery and Ms. Erika St. Denis, Demerath has conducted research on the effects of
a variety of allergies to various components of musical instruments. St. Denis and Demerath presented
their findings and some practical approaches to overcoming allergens in the music classroom at the James
J. Whalen Academic Symposium at Ithaca College in 2013, where they received an award for
"Outstanding Research and Presentation". They also presented their research at the New Jersey Music
Educators Association Winter Conference in February 2014. As a brass player with severe metal allergies,
Demerath sees allergies in the music setting as an incredibly important topic that all music educators need
to be made aware of. She plans to complete her thesis by continuing research in this area.
Demerath also enjoys community service. Her involvement with the Ithaca College-Longview
Intergenerational Choir led to her being chosen to work with Dr. Emily Mason as the 2014-2015 Dana
Intern for the group. This is a group that is comprised of Ithaca College students and residents from the
Longview Assisted Living Community. In this position, she helped select music, planed and led
rehearsals and concerts, and communicated with students and residents.
She worked for three years as a Student Librarian in the Ithaca College Library of Ensemble Music where
she helped organize and maintain the college's collection of ensemble music. She also served as Dr. Beth
Peterson's Student Administrative Assistant for two years. In this position, Demerath completed
administrative duties and projects, such as collecting, organizing, and analyzing data from participants in
the High School Institute Division of The Midwest Clinic, an international band and orchestra conference.
Demerath is originally from Clinton, Michigan, and is a 2011 graduate of Clinton High School. She has
worked as a substitute teacher for PESG for various schools in Lenawee County, Michigan.
When not teaching, or playing her horn, she can be found cooking, sewing, or visiting with family and
friends.
Teaching Experience
Substitute Teaching
I served as a substitute teacher in Lenawee County, MI, including the districts of: Clinton, Tecumseh, Onsted,
Adrian, Madison, Hudson, and Blissfield, as well as the Lenawee Intermediate School District. After graduating
from Ithaca College, I substituted in these schools until the academic year ended, I have also substitute taught in
these districts during my senior year while Ithaca College was on academic breaks.
2015-Present: Member
2013-2014: President, Ithaca College Collegiate-NAfME
2012-2013: President-Elect, Ithaca College Collegiate-NAfME
2015-Present: Member
2014-2015: Collegiate President
2013-2014: Collegiate President-Elect
I frequently play a variety of instruments with my jazz band. This allows me to help fill out our instrumentation, fill
in for missing students, and demonstrate for my students. I often challenge this group to play without a conductor,
and choose students to lead songs by counting them off and ending them for the group. This helps my students
develop independence and leadership, and allows the flexibility for me to fill in for any missing students or parts.
My jazz band performs at two band concerts per year. I am currently working with my student leaders to decide on
opportunities for this group to perform in the community.
Educational Technology
I use Schoology to communicate with my students, post assignments, and grade my classes. I post all lesson
schedules on Schoology, so that they are easily accessible at all times for students and their parents. I also keep
information about events on our Schoology page, as well as an updated list of missed lessons. Students who miss a
lesson are sent a message on Schoology. Students can also send me a message to schedule lessons or ask any
questions that they may need answered. Badges are awarded when goals are met or particular assignments are
completed.
This year, I developed weekly practice reflections on Schoology, to help my student learn effective practice
techniques. I have been astounded by the insightful answers that I receive from students on these assignments, and I
have used these responses to ensure that my curriculum meets the needs of my students.
I have used Schoology in my general music class. I find that many students actually prefer to take their tests on
Schoology rather than in the usual paper and pencil form. Often times, I allow for students to choose whether they
take their test on Schoology or using the traditional paper and pencil form.
I have used Google Classroom in the past for both my band and general music students. Google Classroom is very
intuitive, and allowed for student to easily find assignments in one place.
While I did find some aspects of Google Classroom to be helpful, I have found that Schoology seems to provide a
more comprehensive and organized platform overall for my students.
I am constantly using Google Apps for Education. All of my lesson schedules are created through Google Docs and
are stored on Google Drive.
I also create my weekly practice reflections for students in Google Docs, before uploading them to Schoology. By
doing this, my students are each given their own copy of the assignment, where I can view their personal answers.
My students like that their assignment saves automatically and that they can pick up their assignment on any
computer.
I have used Google Apps for Education in my general music class for several projects. I love that my students are
able to easily collaborate on documents and presentations, even if they are not at school. I also love that my students
are able to access their work from any computer, and that their work is saved automatically.
I periodically use SmartMusic to assess my students on their music. Most frequently, I use SmartMusic with my
students as a practice tool. I love that it helps my students better understand their mistakes and what they can do to
play and sound better. I find that many students have an easier time understanding and fixing mistakes after seeing
them marked on the screen. My students also enjoy being able to slow down their part, and practice it with the
accompaniment that they usually hear from the rest of the band.
My favorite thing to do with SmartMusic is to measure and show my students their progress. When students play a
pre-test on SmartMusic they often think that they will never be able to play the music. When they take the post-test
and compare their scores they are shocked and extremely proud of their progress.
Plickers are an incredible assessment tool that I have utilized in my general music class and band rehearsals. Plickers
are cards with codes on them that can be scanned via the Plickers app. Each student is assigned a particular code, so
that it is easy to keep track of responses from specific students. Students are able to answer multiple choice
questions by holding up their card in a specific way. As I scan codes, I can show the class a graph of their answers
on the SMART Board. These cards allow for quick quizzes and assessments. They are especially helpful in my band
rehearsals, because of the number of students that I have in band. I like that these cards are always available for me
to reprint, in case a student loses theirs.
I have used EdPuzzle in conjunction with my weekly practice reflections for students. I like to use these to help my
students better understand the music that we are currently working on and how we can play them better. My students
are able to listen critically and provide great insight on these assignments.
Ensemble Experience
• 2017-2018 Hill City Brass Quintet
• 2015-2018 Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble
• 2014-2015, 2011 Ithaca College Symphony Orchestra
• 2014 Ithaca College Wind Ensemble
• 2011-2014 Ithaca College Symphonic Band: Principal Horn
• 2012-2013, 2015 Ithaca College Concert Band: Principal Horn
• 2012-2015 Ithaca College Brass Choir
• 2012-2015 Ithaca College-Longview Intergenerational Choir
• 2011-2015 Ithaca College Horn Choir
• 2012-2013 Ithaca College Chorus
• 2012-2013 Ithaca College Student Woodwind Quintet
• 2011-2012 Ithaca College Student Brass Quintet
• 2010-2011 Adrian College Concert Band
• 2010-2011 Clinton High School Lady Reds
• 2010 Baldwin Wallace University: Conservatory Summer Institute Orchestra
• 2010 Baldwin Wallace University: Conservatory Summer Institute Brass Quintet
• 2009 University of Michigan: MPulse Ann Arbor Horn Choir
• 2009 University of Michigan: MPulse Ann Arbor Woodwind Quintet
• 2009-2011 Clinton High School Choir
• 2009-2010 University of Michigan Youth Ensembles: Michigan Youth Band
• 2007-2010 Detroit Symphony Orchestra Civic Youth Ensembles: Wind Symphony
• 2008-2009 Detroit Symphony Orchestra Civic Youth Ensembles: Sinfonia Orchestra
• 2007-2011 Clinton High School Symphonic Band
• 2007-2011 Clinton High School Marching Band
• 2007-2011 Clinton High School Jazz Band
• 2007-2011 Clinton High School Pep Band
Musicals Performed In
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, 2018 (Groton Central School District- Groton, NY)
• Beauty and the Beast, 2018 (Newfield Central School District- Newfield, NY)
• Aida, 2016 (Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton Central School District - Mt. Upton, NY)
• Beauty and the Beast, 2015 (Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton Central School District - Mt. Upton, NY)
• Annie Get Your Gun, 2007 (Clinton High School - Clinton, MI)
Professional Conferences Attended