“There should be a place for Quaver in every classroom.”
By Kristin Clark Taylor
A Close Connection
Sheryl Radke has been an educator for more than thirty years, an admirable feat in and of itself.
As those years have morphed into decades, the K–6 vocal music specialist in Bellevue, Nebraska, has learned a thing or two about the practices and principles of teaching.
There’s one principle in particular that serves as her guiding light, and Radke is ready to share it.
“If you really want to teach children effectively and successfully, you need to understand them first,” she says with clarity and conviction.
“If you don’t engage them at their level, it simply won’t feel right to them,” Radke reasons. “They’ll see right through it.”
That’s why this veteran educator reaches for the tools she knows will resonate with her students in the most authentic way possible.
When asked to identify the resource she uses most often, Radke responds rapidly.
“I use QuaverMusic,” she answers without hesitation.
In fact, Radke’s got a rich history with Quaver, and an incredibly close connection: She’s been using the innovative online platform before it even became an online platform.
“When Quaver first started years ago, they’d send us boxes of their DVDs,” Radke remembers nostalgically, “and I’m genuinely proud to still have those boxes on my shelves today.”
And even though she says she’s witnessed Quaver’s tremendous growth over the years, she is happy that “the essence” of the curriculum has remained the same.
Nebraska educator Sheryl Radke says having Quaver in her classroom, “has really been the game-changer! My kids love it!”
“That’s one reason I love Quaver,” she says, “because they’ve managed to continually improve and evolve, but they’ve also stayed focused on providing content that’s relevant, engaging, and musically-centered.”
Clearly, Radke’s connection with Quaver has endured for as long the company itself has been in existence — and she is only too happy to explain why her journey has been so joyous.
The Joy of Customizing
One of the many things that Radke says she appreciates about Quaver is its adaptability.
The Nebraska educator explains that she’s amassed an impressive array of tools and resources throughout the course of her career, and she’s grateful to have a single resource – Quaver – that allows her to integrate all of these resources together, quickly and easily.
“I’ve been teaching for so long — and using Quaver for so long — that I can really lean into the content and be very imaginative about customizing my lessons,” she says.
“In fact, Quaver is what has made me want to continue teaching,” she admits. “After teaching for so many decades, things can get stagnant, but Quaver keeps things fresh, dynamic, and interesting.”
Radke, who is also an accomplished pianist, says she’ll often print Quaver’s piano scores and expand those lessons to include movement.
This kind of inherent adaptability makes QuaverMusic appealing to all educators, no matter where they are on their teaching journey.
“First-year teachers, for instance, can just follow the step-by-step guide that Quaver provides and enjoy the same level of effectiveness and impact with their students as a veteran teacher,” she explains. “Quaver is designed to meet educators wherever they are.”
She offers up yet another example of Quaver’s customizability.
Radke says the recorder lessons are a “huge hit” with her students, and she often expands beyond the lessons to introduce some brass techniques.
“I use the recorder songs to teach recorder, of course,” she says, “but Quaver also allows me to weave in my own musical talents as an instrumentalist, so we have quite a bit of fun with this one!”
Says Radke: “When I use Quaver – which is every day – my students are always happy and curious, and there are always lots of smiles in my classroom.”
As the conversation concludes, Radke returns to her strong belief that Quaver is meant for all educators.
“There should be a place for Quaver in every classroom.”
Ready to create the space in your classroom for this amazing resource?
Go to QuaverEd.com/Music to make it happen!
Kristin Clark Taylor is an author and a journalist.
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