Hello, my name is Laurie Carlson. I was born in Niles, Michigan while my father was attending Andrews University. We then moved to Broadview Academy where my father taught Biology and helped out on the farm. In 1974 we moved to Columbus, WI and my parents have been in this area ever since. I attended Wisconsin Academy all 4 years and then attended Andrews University. Between my sophomore and junior year I took a year out of college to be a student missionary on the island of Pohnpei in Micronesia. When I came back I finished up my college degree with a BS in Elementary Education and Elementary Music Education.
When I graduated my husband, Alan and I went to Guam for two years. I taught 4th grade at Guam Adventist Academy while he worked at Adventist World Radio. After Guam, I taught at the Raymond Church School in Union Grove, WI for one year before my husband decided to go back to school at Walla Walla College in Washington State. I was not able to find a fulltime teaching job so I substitute taught grades K-12 for the two years he was at WWC. After Walla Walla we moved back to Wisconsin where my husband was an engineer and we started our family. We have a daughter, Krista, and 2 sons, Eric & Brian. I have substitute taught off and on for the past 27 years in various schools- both public and private and I was the volunteer music teacher and aide at Petersen Elementary for a number of years while my children were attending. Currently I live in Columbus, WI with my husband and my children.
At MSDA, I am the part-time music teacher for both the North and South Campuses where I teach music to grades 3-10. I LOVE teaching music. It is so fun to see my kids get excited about the songs they are learning. Grades 3 & 4 learn how to play the recorders and start learning to read music, Grades 5 & 6, 7, and 8 learn how to play as a group as they learn the play the hand chimes and Grades 9 & 10 have a voice choir. 2nd semester the 8th grade class switch to music appreciation and do research projects on composers and the voice choir gets to attend music fest at Wisconsin Academy. During the school year I also have the opportunity to take my students to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for student concerts where they can experience the sound and feel of a concert with a live orchestra.
I plan two concerts a year- Christmas and a Spring concert where the students can showcase what they have learned that semester and have the opportunity to experience the joys of performance.
In the classroom, I expect students to be respectful to their fellow students and me. Music does not come easy to everyone but everyone can enjoy the journey to improvement. I expect students to be open to new ideas and to try new things. I expect students to have FUN!
What do I do when I’m not at school? I teach piano lessons in Columbus, I love to read, and to go bird watching with my husband and I’m passionate about breeding and showing quality Gordon Setters. You can check out my dogs at www.lyricgs.com