Arts Educator Highlight: Katie Starnes

Meet Katie Starnes! 🎷🎼✨

Katie is currently the music teacher at Peterson Middle School in Sunnyvale, and was a teacher I highlighted for #NationalArtsEducationWeek

Having grown up in Santa Clara, Katie shared with me how much her former music teachers impacted her life and led her to realize that “the arts are a viable career path!” Katie’s journey to become a music teacher is a perfect full-circle story, as she now teaches at her former middle school! (Fun Fact: Both Katie and I grew up in the Santa Clara Unified School District at the exact same time but each attended opposite schools!)

One of my favorite things Katie shared with me, was how “arts education makes people better people in world and makes us really think about our own and others’ emotions.”

We had an incredible conversation talking about the SEL (social emotional learning) aspects of music education. Katie also shared with me how she implements mindfulness and stress management tools within her music lesson.

You’re awesome Katie and your students are so lucky to have you! 💛

#artsforall #artseducation #artsmatter #misssantaclaracounty #missca