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Questions? Please contact:
Mr. Corey
Stopperan
Music
Director
Northglenn Middle School
corey.stopperan@adams12.org
Northglenn Middle School Website
District Website
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About Mr. Stopperan
I graduated from Standley Lake High School in 1991 and
moved to Fort Collins to attend Colorado State University. I played in the
Colorado State Wind Ensemble, Marimba Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble and the CSU Ram
Marching Band! I graduated in 1997
 with
a Bachelors degree in Music Education. I moved to little town, Sterling,
Colorado where I taught K-12 music at the Fleming Schools in Fleming, Colorado
from 1997-2001. That summer, Kyla and I moved to Greeley for me to finish
a Masters degree in Music Education. I graduated from UNC that following
spring and got married to the love of my life, Kyla, in June 2002. In the fall, I accepted the Music Director position at Northglenn Middle School.
In February 2006, Kyla and I had our first child, Rian Rae.
Camping with my dog Djembe, pronounced (jem-bay), which is a
type of African drum. He's half Yellow Lab and half Golden Retriever.
He's got a backpack on because we went hiking that day.
My
Favorites
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Color - Green, Blue
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Books - Ender's Game, The Universe in a Nutshell,
The Four Agreements, Green Eggs and Ham
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Movies - The Blues Brothers, Dumb and Dumber,
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Willy Wonka
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Music -
Classic Rock - The Police,
80's Rock, Boston, Van Halen, Beatles
Rock - Fall Out Boy, Aquabats,
Rage Against The Machine
Ska - Reel Big Fish,
Voodoo Glow Skulls
Metal -
Dream Theater, Pantera, System of a Down
Orchestral - Mozart,
Stravinsky, John Williams
Piano - Beethoven's "Pathetique"
Sonata
Jazz - Any Swing, Duke
Ellington, Herb Alpert, Herbie Hancock, Bill
Bruford,
Acoustic - James Taylor, Dave
Mathews, John Denver
Country - Johnny Cash, Hank
Williams Jr.
R&B - Stevie Wonder, Earth
Wind and Fire
Rap - anything Old School/Breakdance, Wyclef
Jean
Reggae - Bob Marley,
Matisyahu
Opera - Carmina Burana, Carmen
Musicals - Willy Wonka,
Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast
TV Themes - Saved By The Bell,
Alice, What's Happening!, Who's The Boss?
Local -
Lunaticos (Reggaeton),
Lopseyed (Psychedelic)
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TV Shows - Heroes, The Office, The Apprentice, Best Week
Ever, American Idol, Flip That House
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Cars - Lamborghini, Ferrari, Honda Odyssey
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Food - Italian, Mexican, Steak
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Hobbies - Audio Recording, Computers, Camping,
Home Improvement
How Does Your Band Live?
When the band lives with criticism, they learn to
condemn.
When the band lives with hostility, they learn to
fight.
When the band lives with pity, they learn to feel
sorry for themselves.
When the band lives with ridicule, they learn to
be shy.
When the band lives with jealousy, they learn to
feel guilty.
When the band lives with encouragement,
they learn to be confident.
When the band lives with tolerance, they
learn to be patient.
When the band lives with praise, they
learn to be appreciative.
When the band lives with acceptance, they
learn to love.
When the band lives with fairness, they
learn what justice is.
When the band lives with security, they
learn to have faith in themselves and
those around them.
When the band lives with friendliness,
they learn the world is a great place in
which to live.
How does your band live?
I am Committed to YOU and It All Comes Down to Commitment
Commitment is
what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of
your intentions, and the actions which speak louder than words. It is making
the time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time, year
after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power
to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over
skepticism.
Why I Teach Music, My Personal Philosophy
It is important to
our educational system that all teachers have a clear and working philosophy.
For an educator to go into a classroom and teach a subject with the same exact
philosophy and goals that they were taught would be a disservice to our
students. Why follow ideas that are not unique to our classroom setting? I have
seen teachers that have file cabinets full of folders and each folder is filled
with activities and lessons for that day of the year. They have used these for
decades. Our system of education cannot be successful if teachers just do what
feels comfortable. The teaching field is ever changing and teachers should
change with it. We must have a clear plan for students and adapt our goals to
their needs. After all, aren’t the student’s needs why we’re here? Isn’t that
what teaching is all about?
Why, what and how are questions which lie within each
individual’s philosophy no matter what their profession. In developing an
educational philosophy we must first understand reasons why we teach. All people
should have the opportunity to learn. Humans possess a certain quality that
urges them to do something more than just eat and sleep. The awareness of this
fact separates us from other animals. The ability to communicate information
(teaching) allows humans to progress in their awareness, thus, the reason we
have teachers. Next, we must form opinions as to what is important to the
learning experience of our students. Each teacher has his or her own opinion of
what should or should not be taught. Open communication between every student
will allow a teacher to assess the needs and capabilities of students and should
then direct what is taught in the classroom. Of course there will be times where
outside factors such as holidays and community events might alter objectives,
but a working philosophy will adapt itself to those needs. Lastly, we should
plan our teachings as to how students will learn. This is unique in all
situations of teaching because humans (students) have multiple ways in which
they learn. An educator must be sensitive to this to insure their maximum
potential.
As a music educator, there are many reasons why I teach
music. The most important is that music allows the exploration of emotion
through sound. This exploration of feeling, the musical experience, is
significant because all humans posses the ability to feel. All humans should
have the opportunity to explore their feelings; therefore, all students should
have the opportunity to explore their feelings.
Being aware of the musical experiences of students will help teachers select
what music will broaden their musical experience. If teachers select only music
they themselves enjoy conducting, the students are receiving a limited musical
experience. Music encompasses infinite culture and style and allows us to
explore infinite feeling. We must provide this opportunity of infinite feeling
to our students through careful selection of music, whether listened to or
performed.
To expand students’ musical experience, music educators
should include the student in both the learning and teaching processes. In a
traditional rehearsal setting, conductors simply hand out solutions to problems
such as intonation, rhythm, balance, etc. The teacher might actually think he is
teaching and the student is learning, but this is not the case. Although this
might temporarily solve the dilemma, he is really just training students to do
whatever it is they are doing and go on to the next problem. If students then
discover the same problem in a different work at another time, the student most
likely will not recognize the problem. By teaching concepts that can be seen in
any musical experience, students can transfer their knowledge of that concept
and avoid seeing each problem as unique. This is the difference between teaching
a process and training for product.
Music should be seen as a way for people to explore
their feelings, a way to feel a depth of emotion they have not experienced. The
sound of music, the way it is aurally perceived, is the vehicle to this
experience; therefore, the sound of music is what we should emphasize in our
teaching of music. Students were drawn to the sound to begin with and will
always be drawn to it. If we do not stress the value of the quality of sound,
students will not value the musical experience. This value is important to show
our students because of the inherent quality of human feeling.
A clear and working philosophy of music education
is just the beginning for a successful music educator. Every philosophy should
include answers to these questions; why we teach, what we teach, and how we
teach. Constantly adapting our philosophy to the students’ needs, allows
students to experience music uniquely and teaching universal concepts better
equips students for future learning.
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NORTHGLENN
MIDDLE SCHOOL