We Catch Up with Mrs. Susan Jasson, Music Teacher, to learn more…
Beginning in Kindergarten, and through all of Grammar Stage, Donahue Academy students’ music education covers several, increasingly sophisticated, facets. Naturally, they start out by learning to sing, alone and with others, a variety of music, including hymns and sacred music. They also learn to perform on instruments, to improvise melodies, variations, and accompaniments, and to compose and arrange music within specific guidelines. As they grow and develop, students increase proficiency in reading and notating music. They don’t simply passively listen to music, but are challenged to listen to it with an ear toward analyzing and describing what they hear.
Eventually, they sharpen their sensibilities enough to be able to evaluate music and musical performances and to draw relationships between music, the other fine arts, and disciplines outside the arts. A major goal of early childhood and elementary music education is to help students to understand music in relation to history, culture, and Catholicism. If that sounds like an ambitious goal, you are right, and Mrs. Susan Jasso, who many of you have heard singing with the parish’s Adult Choir, is the woman on the job. Mrs. Jasso has seven children enrolled at the school and leads its music program for Grades K to 4. Here’s her testimonial about teaching music in general and at Donahue.
“I am so happy to be teaching Grammar Stage music! Although I was born into an athletic family, not a musical one, I am forever grateful that they let me explore my own interests and signed me up for church choir/handbells, piano, and dance. I eventually added theatre into the mix and performed in many musicals during high school and college.I went to Kansas State University where I studied music and education. I graduated with Bachelor and Master’s degrees in early childhood education and a minor in vocal music.
While we were raising our seven children, my professional life consisted of teaching roles in various states (Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Florida) and capacities. I was a Graduate Teaching Assistant in a university early childhood classroom, a Family Teacher at Girls and Boys Town, a swing and salsa instructor, a Zumba teacher, and an online English as a Second Language instructor. I also worked as a funeral and wedding soloist! Like many of us, I did not know what God had in store for me. Looking back, I am sure that this is where I was supposed to end up. I often thank Him for bringing us to Ave Maria and specifically to Donahue Academy. In Grammar music, we do all of the wonderful things that elementary students around the country do, but I am fortunate enough to also get to start and end each class with a prayer song. I get to teach the students beautiful hymns and share in their excitement when they have learned to sing a new Latin Marian Aniphon by heart. To be able to experience the joy of music with close to 250 students each week is an amazing blessing, and I can’t imagine doing anything else!” Thank you for your dedication to your craft and our students, Mrs. Jasso!
