A Lasting Passion for Music Learning

2017 Grammy Music Educator Award Finalist Profile: Elizabeth Hankins

If you’re looking for an educator, who has figured out how to get students to have a passion for learning, look no further than Lakewood City Schools music teacher, Elizabeth Hankins. In 2002, Beth took her students on a trip to see a clinic by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the experience changed the course of her teaching. The students walked away from the show with a new found enthusiasm and insisted on recreating the performance they had just witnessed.

After seeking advice from local music industry professionals, Beth Hankins took it upon herself to create the wildly successful Lakewood Project. The program gives kids a chance to arrange music and communicate musical languages across multiple genres. The students gain valuable skills, learning to perform in public and, most importantly, problem-solve on the fly.

The Lakewood Project has witnessed astounding long-term results. Years after the formation of the program, 90% of graduates of the Lakewood Project still make music in some form or fashion. It’s an extraordinary testament to the power of the Elizabeth Hankins and the project she launched.

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1. The Morning Journal – Lakewood orchestra teacher is Music Educator Award finalist
2. Cleveland.com – Lakewood City Schools earn national music education designation: A Place in the Sun
3. Charleston City Paper – S.O.U.L. Power unites arts community for youth outreach and music education