Welcome!

I will be your child's music teacher this year.  Music class will be filled with a lot of singing,  dancing, making rhythm, and playing musical instruments.  We also will experience the work of  a different musician or composer  each week and learn about how different musical instruments work and the families of musical instruments.

If you have any questions or would like to contact me, please email me at: mrs.barford@presbvmschool.org.

In addition to being your child's music teacher, I am also a volunteer Seeing Eye Puppy Raiser. That means that I have a puppy to raise that was bred by the Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ.  Nine years ago my puppy's name was Onyx; she was a lab/golden cross. She returned to The Seeing Eye's facility  when she was 15 months old and was  trained as a Seeing Eye dog.  She is presently working with a visually-impaired woman in Ohio.  Eight years ago my puppy's name was Marsha.  She returned  to Morristown, NJ, on October 4, 2017.  She passed her training at The Seeing Eye and is now working with a visually disabled person in Colorado. Seven years ago my puppy's name was Forte. She also passed her training and is presently working with a visually impaired person in North Carolina. Amazingly he is a musician, so hopefully Forte paid attention in all the music classes she attended!  Six years ago Tilda was my puppy's name; she also was a lab/golden cross. She  had a "career change" probably due to the great number of dogs that successfully passed training and the shortage of visually impaired clients at The Seeing Eye due to Covid restrictions. She has been adopted and is living with  a loving family.  Five year sago Artemis, a lab/golden cross, was my puppy for most of the year. She is now working with a visually impaired man in Maryland.  She lives with him, his wife, three children, two cats, and his retired Seeing Eye Dog! Four years ago Max was my puppy.  She was my first German shepherd. She returned to the Seeing Eye for training at the end of July. Unfortunate ly she did not make the program and has been adopted.  Three years ago my  puppy's name was Violet.   She is a black Lab/Golden  cross.  Violet did not  become a Seeing Eye dog. She is presently living with a loving family.  Two years my puppy's name was  Anna. She is yellow lab. She  returned to The Seeing Eye  in June. in Morristown, NJ, for training . She has passed her training and is waiting for her perfect match so she can start her career! Gossamer was the puppy I raised last year. She returned to The Seeing Eye  in June and is at present going through their training program  My present puppy's name is Twyla, a golden retriever.  She will probably be with me until April when she will return to The Seeing Eye for training.  Then I hope to get a new puppy and start all over. Twyla is the sixteenth  puppy I have raised, but only my third golden retriever

 As puppy raisers we are encouraged to take our puppies with us whenever we can. Exposure to all kinds of situations helps them prepare for their future career. Father Isaac and Mrs. Flanigan  have given me permission to bring  Twyla  (and any other future Seeing Eye puppies) to school with me. 

So this year  I will bring  Twyla to school with me.  Know that my puppy will be on her leash at all times and has all of her shots. Usually I  allow the children to pet her at specific times.  No child ever has to pet her. The children really enjoy seeing her and take their responsibility very seriously. They are helping her learn how to deal with distractions and different people and experiences. If you have any concerns, please let me know.

To learn more about The Seeing Eye, go to seeingeye.org. Thanks.