Ms. Markus is the new chorus teacher at EMS. This year has not only been her first year teaching chorus, but it has also been her first time teaching ever. Although it’s the end of the year, most students at this school haven’t gotten the chance to meet her and get to know her.

A Little bit About Ms. Markus

Ms. Markus has recently taken on the position of the new chorus teacher at EMS. She loves cats (both the musical and the animal), enjoys singing with friends, rehearsing, and listening to Of Montreal. As said by Ms. Marcus,“I like singing in a group, so I like having friends that sing with me and I really like rehearsing, which is sometimes people’s least favorite part. But I like rehearsing and working really hard on music. It’s kinda like a sports practice but only music.” I definitely agree. Being able to sing in a group teaches people how to cooperate with others and adapt to different situations and teaches one how to equally participate in a group so that the outcome is the best it could possibly be. This skill is greatly used in sports and anything that requires multiple people to work together.

Why She Loves Teaching

Being a teacher is no easy task. Teaching several classes of middle schoolers everyday is no exception. During her time in middle school, Ms. Markus was in a community choir and was taught by someone who inspired her. Ms. Markus later joined an All state honors choir. This opportunity may have been the most definite point in time where Ms. Markus knew for a fact that she wanted to teach music to others. Ms. Markus has said that, “I was in a children’s community choir when I was in middle school and I had a really awesome teacher names Mrs. Fast. then I was in a state honors choir in middle school. That’s when I decided I wanted to do music education.”

What She Hopes to Teach her Students

Some people describe music as a window into emotions and other places and that is something Ms. Markus wants to teach her students. “I teach chorus because when I was in middle school, choir was an incredibly important part of my life. And it kind of was a way for me to explore and express different emotions…So I could sing a song from the renaissance and I get a little look into what the renaissance was like but through music. And I want to share those opportunities with students who are interested in singing; give them a way to experience different time periods, different points of view, and different emotions.”

What Students Think About Her

Student’s opinions of this teacher may vary from class to class but the majority of the comments are positive. Although some can say she can be quite strict, they have also said that it’s completely understandable due to the fact that they know that their class can be difficult to deal with at times. Others say that Ms. Markus is a very optimistic person and has a very caring personality.

Ms. Markus is a hardworking teacher that hopes to bring out the best in people and her students and tries push them out of their comfort zones to help them maybe explore different things. She has said that she doesn’t care if you can sing well or not she just wants you to try your best no matter what. Ms. Markus has been a great teacher so far and I appreciate what she’s done so far for her students and how she’s helped them find their voice and learn to be themselves. Hopefully we’ll be able to have her here at the middle school for many years to come.