Bio

Hello! My name is Jillene Guzman, and this will be my fifth year teaching at GPS. I really enjoy teaching in the District and I am really looking forward to doing it all again this year! I have a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from Ottawa University and have taught elementary orchestra for eleven years. I currently live in Gilbert, AZ with my husband David, who is an analyst at American Express. We have enjoyed spending our quarantine time by watching lots of movies and cooking together. I also really like sparkly things, dresses, beauty and chic fashion. I really love animals too, especially bunnies, but my husband is allergic to most fur, so no pets for us! :'(

 I am the ultimate music nerd. I LOVE everything about it so much that I always make it my goal to share that love with my students and show them just how much a positive impact it can be on their life and the lives of others. I pride myself on creating community in each orchestra class. I always want each student to know that they can find a safe place in orchestra to be themselves and express themselves without feeling fear of having to fit in. It is so important to me to make orchestra be a place where they can escape from worry and stress, just for that little length of time. Even if my students find that music isn't something they like, my hope is that they will at least learn from me, the value of finding something that they do enjoy using as a tool for those times when they may need an escape. Whether my students are music lovers or not, I make it a priority to get to know each student and talk to them one on one every chance I get. It is really important to me that they know that they are cared about and that they feel like they can talk to me if needed.