Laurie Matthes

Hello Bancroft families,

I am Ms. Matthes and I have been teaching in the Minneapolis School District for 30 years. It has been my privilege to work at Bancroft for over 10 years.

I have my B.S. in vocal/general music education grade k-12 from the University of Minnesota. I also have a M.A. in curriculum and instruction from the University of St. Thomas. I also am certified in Kodaly and Orff pedagogy.

I have lived in Minneapolis all my life and have a husband, two sons, one daughter-in-law and one granddaughter that goes to a Minneapolis school. My aunt was a music teacher and music has been a large part of my family since birth.

Richard Gill explains better than I can why I believe we should teach music. He said “We teach music because it is unique and good. We teach music so that children can make their own music. We teach music because it acts in a unique way on the heart, mind, soul and spirit of the child, stimulating thought and imagination in very special ways. These are the real reasons for teaching music.”

I believe music is a language in its own right and needs to be spoken, read and written as any other language. I believe in the Orff method of teaching music through exploration and the Kodaly method of teaching music through literacy. I also believe in the Dalcroze method of teaching music through movement; although I do not have a certificate in Dalcroze.

Contact: Laurie.Matthes@mpls.k12.mn.us