Pender’s Music Co. would like to congratulate Bonnie Anderson, a long-time customer and friend, for her well-deserved selection as a finalist for the 2016 Music Educator Award! Bonnie is currently one of ten teachers out of nearly 4,500 nominations being considered for this honor, presented by The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Foundation. Bonnie teaches at Coronado Village Elementary in Universal City, Texas, and she is one of only two elementary music specialists being considered for the award, which in itself is a massive achievement.

Music comes to life in Bonnie’s classroom. Her unique teaching methods incorporate hands-on instruction, multicultural instruments, and international techniques alongside an approach that inspires children to practice and learn more about music and the world around them. Her classes incorporate drums, marimbas, ukulele, singing, and dance. She offers a Music Memory class where students memorize fifteen pieces of classical music and dip into the history of the music they are learning.

Bonnie focuses on giving her students opportunities to learn about other cultures through music, engaging them beyond the standard musical curriculum and even organizing public musical performances for students to showcase their skills to parents and friends. Her peers note that she has the uncanny ability to encourage even the most stubborn students to learn and strive for greatness. Students want to make her proud, which is clear in the performances her classes bring to the community.

When Coronado Village Elementary became a dual-language campus, Bonnie stepped up to the challenge, investing her own time and resources to enroll in Spanish classes. She is now confident in her ability to teach classes in both Spanish and English, allowing her students even more opportunities to learn and grow beyond a basic music education.

Pender’s is proud to have had the chance to work with Bonnie throughout the years, helping her acquire specialty sheet music for the more nontraditional instruments she teaches, and coordinating the purchase of the Texas-made marimbas she uses in her classroom. The work Bonnie does changes children’s lives for the better, and we’re always glad to help people like her do what they do best. If you are ever in search of hard-to-find sheet music or educational materials for your classroom, chances are we can help you too!

The Music Educator Award was established to recognize excellence in musical education, and considers teachers of all grades from both private and public schools. The educators who are recognized have made significant and lasting contributions to the field of music education and continue to demonstrate a commitment the broader goal of maintaining quality music education in schools. Pender’s wishes Bonnie the best of luck in the final round of awards!