PROFILES IN EDUCATION

Candace Braun

Patty Thel

Name: Patty Thel

School: Westminster Conservatory

Years Taught: 30 years, 15 years at Westminster Conservatory

Subject/Grade Taught: three children's choirs, grades second through eighth

Education: bachelor's degree in music, University of North Carolina, Greensboro; masters in music, East Carolina University

Most Memorable Book: Poetry by W. H. Auden and Carl Sandburg

Person You Admire: "The person who has changed my teaching the most is my son Tommy, who's in special education. Being his mother has made me more patient, more insightful, and much more intuitive in my teaching."

Using the insight and sensitivity one learns as a mother while teaching makes a good teacher an even better one, says Patty Thel, a children's music conductor.

"Somebody said this to me a long time ago and it has become more true as I've been a mom: children may not remember what you say, but they will always remember how you make them feel," she said.

Coming to Princeton 15 years ago, Ms. Thel started her career at Westminster Conservatory by teaching Music Together, a preschool music program. The program moved to its own facility one year after Mrs. Thel started, which was when she decided to form her own children's choir at the college, beginning with a 12-student ensemble.

Now, Ms. Thel teaches a total of 150 students, in three different choirs, including Schola, a second and third grade choir; a fourth and fifth grade choir; and Cantus, an honors middle school choir. Her choirs have performed with the Westminster Community Orchestra, the Princeton University Orchestra, and participated in two concerts in Washington D.C.

Becoming A Teacher

A true southerner with her accent still intact, Ms. Thel grew up in Fayetteville, N.C. She said she has known since the third grade that she wanted to go into a music career, always enjoying playing the piano and singing. As a child Ms. Thel sang in her school's choir and at the Southern Baptist church she attended.

"I remember sitting in my music class," she said, "and thinking that this was definitely the most fun part of my week, and I couldn't think of a more wonderful job than to do something in music."

Ms. Thel began her career in music after majoring in the subject at the University of North Carolina. She first taught music in Red Springs, N.C., working with underprivileged children of all ages.

"I taught kids who had never seen the inside of a movie theater," said Ms. Thel.

As the only music teacher in the entire school district, she taught all of the elementary school students in the morning, and then the high school students in the afternoon.

"It was a very hard job, but it was my favorite job," said Ms. Thel. "The kids were so open to new things and they were willing to work hard."

After teaching in Red Springs for two years, Ms. Thel moved on to Greenville, N.C., where she taught choir and music to middle school students. Once again, she was tested as an educator.

The principal of the school had asked Ms. Thel if she would babysit students with behavioral problems in a "popular music" class. Without guidelines or textbooks, Ms. Thel decided she would teach them how to play the recorder, instead.

"By the end of the year they could play little Renaissance pieces on the recorder," she said, laughing.

Soon after, Ms. Thel decided to go to graduate school at East Carolina University, where she taught non-majors a music education class. She also directed a youth group and choir at a small Baptist church.

"I really worked seven days a week," she said. "I taught three days, took class two days, and had a church job on the weekends."

Many Facets of Music

Things began to slow down and come together for Ms. Thel when she moved to Atlanta, and taught at "the most well-supported, resourced [teaching] job in the world," with her own office and several music rooms readily available for use.

While there Ms. Thel auditioned for the Atlanta Symphony Chorus, where she sang in a choir conducted by Robert Shaw.

"Robert Shaw was one of the most influential choral directors for me, as he was for so many" Ms. Thel said.

After meeting her husband and moving a few more times, Ms. Thel ended up in West Windsor, working as a music conductor at Westminster while raising her three children. Now, with a 19-year-old daughter, 16-year-old son, and 13-year-old son, Ms. Thel works part-time so she can spend time with her family.

Along with teaching music at the Westminster Conservatory, she also teaches an adjunct special education class for music majors at Westminster Choir College, in which students learn how to instruct and relate to children with special needs. Ms. Thel first became interested in the field because of her own son, Tommy, who is a special needs student.

"I'm so convinced that [my students'] perspectives will be changed if they deal with the kids, that's why I ask all of them to go out into a special education setting to teach," Ms. Thel said.

The teacher said that by the end of the five-week course many of her students are enlightened and understand special education in a way they never had before.

"Almost all of them are so touched by the creativity and joy that these kids can bring into their lives, that it changes their perspective on teaching," she said.

Music Students

Working at a conservatory for music gives Ms. Thel the opportunity to help students grow and get the most out of their voices. When a child auditions that isn't ready to join one of the choirs, Ms. Thel redirects them to a smaller ensemble, so that they can work on their technique. She then takes them into one of the choirs the following semester.

"Students take any kind of comments about their voices so personally, I try to encourage them no matter what the outcome of the audition," she said.

Having a respect for music and her students is what Ms. Thel feels helps her students develop into better singers as they grow older.

"I think as a teacher and conductor, my job is to bring [my students] up to their best selves," she said.

Once Ms. Thel had a 5-year-old come into an audition and tell the teacher that she was going to be an opera singer.

"I always take my students seriously, I never laugh at them," she said. "There are moments when children tell you something and they are very serious and you should take it with delicacy and respect, and not be dismissive."

This particular student is now in high school, and singing very beautifully, said Ms. Thel: "It wouldn't surprise me if she did become an opera singer."

Another student who went through Ms. Thel's choir grew up to perform on Broadway, sending his former conductor his press clippings.

"He always told the press that he had been in my choir," she said proudly.

Most importantly, students need to be encouraged to pursue whatever drives them, so that they may achieve their goals, said Ms. Thel.

"A lot of these children who succeed in this way have something inside them that will get them there no matter what. As a teacher I need to give them all the tools they need to get there...It's all within them."