Sarah Bouse, MM, MEd

I have always loved all aspects of learning and education. As a child, I enjoyed “playing school.” I started teaching piano lessons and then went on to complete a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy at Belmont University in 2013. After that, I moved straight to Houston, Texas to complete my Master of Music in Vocal Coaching degree at Rice University. In May 2023, I finished a Master of Education degree in Music and Music Education at Teachers College of Columbia University. 

Learning an instrument or music theory is more than just learning notes and rhythms. Music theory students must engage in detail-oriented processes that require multiple steps. Each new concept in music theory builds on the last, so students learn to bring many different concepts together into one big picture as their understanding grows. I love listening to Taylor Swift as much as I love listening to Mozart, and music theory enhances my understanding of both. 

I don’t only teach music classes. My six years of teaching at community college led me to firmly believe in establishing a good foundation in writing, and I think this is especially important in young students. Students begin Expository Writing I writing one-paragraph narratives and end Expository Writing III engaging in thoughtful communication about personal experiences and historical events in papers that end up being several pages long. Learning the different styles of writing required by research papers, reflection papers, emails to teachers, literary criticism, and more is an integral part of becoming an excellent writer. I personally love seeing students’ growth through the semesters (or even multiple years) or writing classes! 

My interests are not confined to music. I was fortunate to spend every summer from 2013 to 2019 in Italy, both studying the language and working as an administrator at a summer opera program. I love the Italian language, culture, and food, and I can’t wait to go back someday! I live with four perfect cats, and my students enjoy meeting them when they inevitably join our Blackboard classes. I love Broadway shows, traveling, baking sourdough bread and other adventures in the kitchen, and playing games with friends. I enjoy talking about personal interests in the first few minutes of class as students get ready to dive into new material, and I have seen that developing a personal relationship with students leads to a positive classroom environment. 

On teaching: I believe in an involved, conversational approach in the classroom. I encourage students to ask questions whenever they have them. We do many exercises in class together so students have the tools they need to complete their assignments. My students are not the only ones learning in my classroom – I am always learning things from them as well!