Music educator receives lifetime achievement award
Donna Rhodenizer was recognized recently with the Nova Scotia Music Educators’ Lifetime Achievement Award.
Rhodenizer knew she wanted to be a teacher from the age of five. She combined her passion for music and her love for teaching into a 35-year career in the elementary music classroom.
She taught as a string specialist in the Kingston community string program, while studying music education at Acadia University. She was a member (and concert master) of the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra and Acadia Orchestra. She did a year of graduate studies at Brandon University and then returned to Nova Scotia as a parttime string professor at Acadia University (a two-year appointment). She taught elementary music at Windsor Elementary — where she discovered handbells — and Gaspereau Valley Elementary before settling in at Kings
County Academy (KCA) in Kentville 25 years ago. Rhodenizer retired from KCA this past June.
Rhodenizer has made a name for herself as a music educator and as a composer. Her music can be found on every continent, according to the music educators’ release. She has written and self-published seven collections of original music and some of her songs are published in the Royal Conservatory graded vocal series used by private music teachers. She created a new recorder program, ‘Royal Recorders’, and has written more than 200 compositions for choirs, handbells, violin and piano.
Also an active performer and recording artist, Rhodenizer is part of the duo, Donna & Andy. As such, she is a Juno nominee and winner of multiple awards from both the East Coast Music Association and Music Nova Scotia, recognizing her work in the recording field. Many of the songs she performs and records are her original songs.
Rhodenizer received the NSMEA Musica Viva Award in 2009 for her outstanding contribution to music education in Nova Scotia and the 2011 Jubilate Award of Merit from the Canadian association for her significant contribution to music education. She is grateful for the support of her peers, and their interest in her music. She enjoys sharing her music both in her own classroom, and also in the classrooms of others in Canada and around the world.
A passionate advocate for music, she enjoys inspiring others to join her in making music a vibrant and significant part of their lives. Her retirement plans include more composing, performing, recording, posting music education videos, adjudicating at music festivals and enjoying many musical adventures.
For more information, go to www.donnarhodenizer.com.