Hi Everyone, I’m Melanie!

I am a movement-minded, New York woman who can’t stand still when there’s music playing. Even in the silence I feel the creative energies overcoming me. That’s probably why I’ve become what I’ve become. After enduring some hardships (surgeries) as a pre-professional dancer, I focused my energy on music, while still dancing as much as I could. As I got stronger again, I incorporated dance into my music world as much as possible while still abiding by the courses’ guidelines.

I graduated from Hofstra University, having transferred from University of Buffalo, with a BS in Music Education. All the while, still dancing in musicals and broadening my horizons. Towards the end of my college career, a love and fascination of American Sign Language and Deaf Culture came flying back into my life. This was not just a side interest any longer, but a love in need of pursuing.

After taking a year to rest my brain after college, I attended NTID @ RIT for my Master’s Degree in Deaf Education. While there I focused on teaching the performing arts to deaf and hard of hearing students. I was able to assist drama directors as my grad-assistantship, as well as become assistant to the NTID Dance Company’s Director/Choreographer. This experience only made it that much more clear what my calling in life had become. Upon graduating, I assumed that I would have to wait til my amazing coop teachers had their retirement in order to find such a specific job as the one which I would love. To my amazement, the stars aligned and a job opened up less than a month after finishing grad school.

I currently teach music and dance at the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind. While my heart is in New York, I couldn’t love my job more. The talent that these students have amazes me, and they exceed even the highest expectations which I place upon them. I hope to be a pioneer for my career and to inspire future arts educators to take more of a serious look at special education fields.

It is the most rewarding career I can think of.

Stay connected with Schoology to hear more from Melanie and our other Guest Bloggers about their experiences in education.