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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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About

Elizabeth (Beth) Hankins began pursuing her PhD in Music Education at Case Western Reserve University in the fall of 2010. She has a B.Mus.Ed from the Oberlin Conservatory and a M.A.Ed from Baldwin Wallace College. She began teaching in the Lakewood City Schools in 1990. During that time she has taught beginning strings, middle school orchestra and high school orchestra.

She currently directs the Lakewood High School Chamber Orchestra, The Lakewood High School Symphony Orchestra, The Lakewood High School String Orchestra, The Lakewood Project (an innovative rock orchestra) and teaches a high school music history class. During 2002-2003 school year, she was named the American String Teacher of the Year for the State of Ohio.

In 2013, Beth received the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award (one of 50 teachers in the country) as well as the Oberlin Conservatory Distinguished Alum Award in Music Education.

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

EdCircuit Staff: Author

edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox

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EdCircuit Staff

edCircuit is a mission-based organization entirely focused on the K-20 EdTech Industry and emPowering the voices that can provide guidance and expertise in facilitating the appropriate usage of digital technology in education. Our goal is to elevate the voices of today’s innovative thought leaders and edtech experts. Subscribe to receive notifications in your inbox