Anita Perlau

B.Ed (music education), Dip FA (Kodály concentration)

Coordinator, Kodály Musicianship Program; Early Childhood Faculty

aperlau@mtroyal.ca

Anita Perlau spent her childhood in Edmonton where she first developed a love for all things musical. She learned early on that music was a great medium to express oneself and found great joy in music making with others. She played in jazz and concert bands, studied piano and flute and sang in a church children's choir.

It wasn't until much later when Anita was working on her undergraduate degree, that she realized that she could combine two of her passions – music and working with children. From there, Anita went on to learn as much as she could about teaching young children. Anita is well versed in both the Kodaly and Orff philosophies. Anita studied with Lois Choksy and Jane Frazee, both leading international scholars in music education. She continues to study early childhood development and music theories in her Masters program at the University of Alberta. All of her early experiences and extensive training inform her teaching practices as an elementary school music specialist, choral conductor, and workshop clinician.

Anita has a passion for music literacy and loves her role as instructor in the Early Childhood Kodaly Musicianship program. Anita feels privileged to work with young children. Their honesty and spontaneity to move and sing inspires her every day to be take on more of their perspective on life – laugh more, play more , sing more... and stop being so serious! Anita muses, “How wonderful it is to come to work every day knowing that I will be a better person for sharing the day with my young students. They have taught me about the importance of music in our lives.”