Ms. Lee knew she wanted to be a music teacher from early on in life. Her most prominent memory was that of a conversation between friends about her becoming a music educator. She loved music from the very start, teaching toys of hers to play the piano in anticipation of a career in music.

Despite going to college for a biology degree, she eventually realized that everything she was doing in her spare time was music-related. It made her happier, so she switched majors and went into music education. 

Ms. Lee eventually found herself at Frost Middle School, where she teaches many chorus classes as well as Piano Lab. “She’s a great choral director and very good at her job.” said eighth grader Allie M., a member of the Advanced Soprano Alto Chorus. “She’s super nice and she’s very fun.”

Ms. Lee has many good memories of teaching. So many, in fact, that she said it’s hard to choose just one! A notable one was when she and her chorus group were accepted to perform at the VMEA (Virginia Music Educators Association) conference in Richmond. After long weeks and extra Saturdays of practice with her choir group, they finally got to perform. And put on quite the show! It was the only time she has ever applied, and she managed to get herself and her students in. 

She wants her classroom to “first and foremost, be a place where students feel comfortable.” She aims to make her classroom welcoming and to make it feel more like a family environment. 

Families are always different, and they may not be your best friend, but you can get along and have teamwork. It’s an environment where you can feel safe. “Singing is very personal, so they need to feel comfortable enough to sing out loud.” 

“Finish the sentence: Ms. Lee is…” Ms. Lee responded with “kind.” Every student is their own unique person with their own unique circumstances, so she wants to reach out and listen to all of them. Helping them on a more personal level, she said, is more important than even academics.