About Me

I am very excited to be working in the North Penn School District!  I'd like to share a little about myself.  I studied trumpet performance at Peabody Conservatory of Music, and I earned my Bachelor's degree in Music Education from TCNJ in 1995.  I earned my Masters Degree in Music Education from the University of the Arts in 2022.  I taught Middle School and High School Band in Edison, NJ from 1996-2003.  At Thomas Jefferson Middle School, I was responsible for teaching Band and Jazz Band to students in grades 6-8.  After teaching Middle School for 3 years, I accepted a position as co-director of bands at John P. Stevens HS, Edison, NJ.  There, I directed the Symphonic Band and Lab Jazz Band while co-directing the Marching Band and Freshman Band.  I temporarily left full-time teaching in June, 2003, to stay home with my children.  Although I wasn't teaching full-time, I was an active music educator.  I taught Music Together Classes in Blue Bell, PA,  and gave private trumpet lessons to students in Montgomery County, PA.  I went back to teaching music full-time in 2012 at Lawrence Intermediate School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where I directed the Intermediate School Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra and Chamber Strings.  I left Lawrenceville in June, 2017, when I accepted the position as the Band Director at Bridle Path and Knapp Elementary Schools in North Penn.

Outside of teaching, I enjoy playing trumpet in a variety of music groups.  I perform regularly with the Montgomery County Concert Band, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra, the Doylestown Symphonic Winds, Pennsylvania Symphonic Winds and with singer/songwriter Ben Arnold.  My family is also very musical.  My husband David plays trumpet, our daughter Hannah played trumpet and is currently a nursing major at The University of Pittsburgh, and our son Aaron plays saxophone and clarinet and is a Freshman Music Major at Temple University.  We have a dog named Bella, but unfortunately, she does not play any instruments 😊

I am so excited to be teaching at Bridle Path and Knapp Elementary Schools and look forward to working with everyone.    Feel free to email me at  kershnal@npenn.org should you have any questions or concerns.