Rachel Greenwood
Before having children, Rachel was a full-time music teacher. Starting with Kindermusik in a local church hall, within a year she was running one of the biggest Kindermusik studios in Australia. A year after that she had the biggest music studio in Australia for many years running, With her private students, and teaching in preschools, Rachel and her team of teachers reached over 1,200 students weekly.
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With over 20 years of experience in teaching preschoolers music, instrumental work, lecturing to students and teachers alike, Rachel brings a lot into each music class that she teaches.
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Rachel just loves children - lucky, as she has four of her own, and is deeply committed to helping parents know how to creatively, inventively and enjoyable sew music into the fabric of their everyday lives with their precious little ones.
When did it start?
Rachel started teaching piano when she was just 18 years old. The year after she began teaching flute, and the year after that she began teaching Kindermusik.
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Having the biggest Kindermusik studio in Australia, and being awarded the Maestro level of teaching (being in the top 5% of Kindermusik teachers in the world) for 6 years running. During this time, Rachel became a volunteer music
therapist at The Shepherd Centre, running music classes for children with cochlear implants, engaging their ears with music for their lifetime. Rachel sold that studio and moved across Sydney.
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Having moved to the Shire, Rachel again set up and sold another Kindermusik studio. During her time in the North West of Sydney, Rachel ran a few preschooler music classes for her own young children and their friends, and continued with piano students.
In late 2015, after Rachel's family had settled into the St. George area, music classes were a must: So Rachel started to write her own programs: Baby Bounce and Music Time, which have gone from one class of three people, to about 21 classes per week, brimming full of families from around the area.
Now moving back to her beloved Eastern Suburbs, things have come full circle and classes will commence Term 2 2023 in Coogee.
Paying It Forward
When the opportunity arose to start up some new music classes in the St. George area, it really was a no brainer!
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All the donations that are made to the classes by participating families go straight back into the equipment, hall usage, apparatus and programs that we run. Rachel does not get paid for her time, nor does she have any outside funding or grants. Rachel has done this since 2015.
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She brings her musical knowledge, her extensive early childhood music teaching experience, her programs and her love of teaching for free.
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For many years, up until the beginning of 2017, Rachel also sat on the board of the Children's Book Council of Australia (NSW), being the founding editor of their quarterly children's journal, All the Buzz about Books.
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Rachel also creates and writes the curriculum for Storytime-Playgroups.
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In 2018, Rachel was recognised for her volunteer work by the member for Banks, and the Hon. Julie Bishop at the Banks Volunteer of the Year Award.
Qualifications
Rachel holds a bachelor of Arts from the University of NSW and Cambridge University, UK.
After university, Rachel become a fully qualified and certified Kindermusik teacher since 1999. In 2003 Rachel also completed her training in Simply Music - a specialised piano course.
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Rachel was awarded the highest level of Kindermusik teaching: Maestro for the top 5% of music teachers worldwide in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007, before retiring from teaching Kindermusik.
Speaking both nationally and internationally at conferences, universities and TAFEs, Rachel was a sought after to mentor many young Australian Kindermusik teachers.
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Rachel was awarded her Master of Arts degree in 2013, which was a speciality in Children's Literature - and her thesis was on the Symphony of Storytime.
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Rachel is currently understanding yet another Master's degree with in education, with a specialisation in Autism.
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Rachel is a certified SRE teacher, and has been trained and certified to teach children 0 - 18 years old by the Anglican diocese of Sydney. In 2011-2012 Rachel was a curriculum writer for the CEP teaching manuals, and in 2013-2014 Rachel was head hunted to be the project manager for the AEC into SRE teaching in NSW schools.
AWARDS:
2018, Rachel was recognised for her volunteer work by the member for Banks, and the Hon. Julie Bishop at the Banks Volunteer of the Year Award.
Rachel was awarded the highest level of Kindermusik teaching: Maestro for the top 5% of music teachers worldwide in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 before retiring from teaching Kindermusik.
