Program Information – Looking to bringing interactive music making to your classroom? Dr. Kimberly Collins can help. Through the media of speaking, singing, moving, drumming, playing percussion instruments, recorders and Orff instruments your students can experience making music together.  From student composition and creative movement to theatrical performances, Dr. Collins will work with you to create customized units of study to fit the needs of rural, urban, or suburban students connected to Arkansas music standards. Dr. Collins is excited to bring Orff instruction and group music making to your school!

Program Option #1: Building a Musical Quilt (3^rd -5^th grades)

Students will explore the musical heritage in their region of the state. Cross-curricular arts connections between line, shape, texture, and structure will inspire music and movement improvisation and composition. Students will select songs, perform, and compose raps/ songs which represent their personal thoughts and expressions on the topic.

 

Program Option #2: Traveling through the African Diaspora with Music and Movement (4^th-8^th grades)

Students will sing, move, and play instruments through traditional games and songs of Africa, the Caribbean Islands, Latin America, and the African-American culture. They will perform syncopated rhythms and physically active dance styles inspired by “gumboot” (South African) and “stepping" (African-American). The teacher can choose gospel, Jazz, hip-hop or the blues to further students' experiences with these rich styles of music.

 

Program Option #3: S.E.L. and Musical Play (3^rd-8^th grades)

Students will experience emotional intelligence and communication skills through music inspired by African drumming, singing, and moving.

 

Program Option #4: Spring into Music (1^st -3^rd grades)

Students will explore and learning about the spring season through poetry, singing, rhythmic speech and xylophone and recorder playing. Science concepts will be integrated into the sessions. Students will create their own melodies for poetry. Bringing a book to life will be the culminating experience.

 

Program Option #5: “What do you do with an idea” (K-5^th grades)

This workshop will take students through the Orff process.  Starting with an idea and opening up to possibilities to see what takes flight. We will use found sounds and melodic instruments to tell the story as we walk through the book, “What Do You Do With An Idea?” written by Kobi Yamada, illustrated by Mae Besom.  

 

Program Option #6: Custom Music Classroom (K-8^th grades)

The classroom teacher and teaching artist will collaborate to select a topic/ theme of study and plan a customized musical experience for the students. Teachers may choose from the learning media mentioned above (a book, poetry, xylophone playing, drumming, recorder playing, theatre experiences, body percussion, creative movement, singing, and rhythmic speech) to create engaging and academically rich music experiences. A culminating performance or "informance" explaining the musical concepts, songs, and skills learned can be shared with the smaller community. 

Kimberly (Kym) Collins is a National Board Certified music educator living in Little Rock, AR. A state and national workshop presenter, she has taught in rural and urban public schools in Arkansas for over 25 years. Dr. Collins has taught choral and general music as well as class piano and fine arts to elementary and middle level students.

 

As a child she fell in love with performing and visual arts including singing, piano playing, modern dance, drawing, and musical theater at the East Cleveland Community Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio. Her passion for singing, piano playing, musical theater, teaching, and learning led her to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education. She graduated cum laude from Harding University and immediately completed a master’s in Elementary Administration at the same institution. As a music educator, she received certifications in Creating Original Opera from the Metropolitan Opera Company, World Music Drumming, Drum Circle Training, and Orff- Schulwerk approach to music education. In 2022 she completed a doctorate in Teacher Leadership, from Concordia University. Dr. Collins is currently an American Orff Schulwerk Teacher Educator of Movement and Basic Pedagogy and presents workshops and teacher education courses from California to Mississippi. She was nominated as a Disney American Teacher her second year of teaching and selected as Teacher of the Year at two schools in the Little Rock School District.

 

Within her community, Dr. Collins has served alongside her husband at the co-director of the Central Arkansas Youth Choir, Church of Christ Mass Chorus, Purpose Acapella Music Ministry, and the newly formed Multicultural Unity Choir in central Arkansas. She is a wife, mother of 4 daughters, and active member in church. She has served as the Education Director, bible class teacher, and worship team member. She served on several boards including: the Westwind School for Performing Arts PTO (President), the Acapella Worship Leaders and Choral Music Workshop, and she was a founding member and officer of the American Orff Schulwerk Association Chapter 112. Dr. Collins has mentored other music educators and served as a cadre member in LRSD, student teacher supervisor, and model classroom teacher. Dr. Collins loves the arts, people, and learning. She strives to infuse the arts and push the limits of student creativity in her classes. She strives to further interactive music experiences with learners of all ages to engage bodies, minds, and hearts