The Open Classroom Series 2024: Best Practice and Next Practice

Miranda has worked as a classroom music specialist with Education Qld for over 20 years. She has also taught with NSW Cath Ed and did a short contract at the Singapore Australian International School in 2012. She holds a Bach Creative Arts in Music, Grad Dip in Music and a Grad Dip in Education. With her background in vocal pedagogy, she has a keen interest in children’s singing and choral work. In 2023 Miranda gained the certification of Highly Accomplished Teacher through AITSL and continues to work to support other music teachers within her own school and beyond. She believes that every child should have access to music education and loves the joy and connection music brings to her students. Miranda has been teaching at Wilston SS since 2013.

Kate Tyson is a frequent guest clinician at conferences and workshops across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Kate has taught classroom music for almost two decades at both state and independent schools and is currently the Subject Coordinator for Music at Ambrose Treacy College in Brisbane. She has a passion for community singing, having sung with and conducted numerous choirs both in Canada and Australia including the Voices of Birralee. She is a Past President of Kodaly Queensland and in 2024 is again involved in teacher training programs in Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia. Kate loves finding new ways to engage her choral and classroom music students.

Kathy Rappel is a specialist music teacher at Brisbane Boys’ College where she implements a Music Every Day Program for the Prep to Year 3 students. A significant initiative of this program is commissioning new Australian choral repertoire suitable for young children and supporting the work of Australian composers. Kathy has presented workshops both locally and nationally and was a guest lecturer in music education at the University of Queensland. She has run musicianship classes for Kodály Queensland and was the Director of the Young Composers’ Competition for the Australian Society of Music Education for numerous years. Kathy is passionate about bringing new ideas into her classroom to better educate her students.