YELLOW BRICK ROAD MUSIC

About

Jennifer Hibbard is the creator and owner of Yellow Brick Road Music, where she creates fun music education resources for serious music literacy. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of music education degree, K-12 general, vocal, and instrumental music. She also holds a Master of education degree in curriculum and instruction. She has experience teaching K-4th grade general music, 7-12th grade instrumental music, and has taught vocal and instrumental private lessons.


Her membership with professional organizations includes the National Association for Music Education, the National Education Association, the Indiana Music Educators Association, and The Music Crew. Her work has been featured in NAfME’s Teaching Music Magazine and Music in a Minuet, and she is a regular presenter for The Music Crew’s Annual Conference.

IN MY OWN WORDS

As a former music teacher, I know it’s hard to quantify the mental and emotional energy that goes into just one hour of teaching music. All of the preparation and hard work mixed in with joyful music making is bittersweet. I’m betting you can relate. In fact, most of the music teachers I’ve met can be described as:

I STARTED FROM SCRATCH SO THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO

My first few years of teaching were a whirlwind of sleepless nights and anxiety. I was left with a music program that had no curriculum or long-term planning of any kind. The “provided curriculum” was literally a copy of the state standards. So I had to start from scratch to develop my own, which led me to earning a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. Armed with this knowledge and several years of experience, I realized that I wanted to help other teachers avoid starting from scratch. Mostly, I wanted other music teachers to know that they weren’t alone. I could help.

So, I quit teaching and started my own business to do just that. Being a full-time creator is the perfect fit for my introverted personality. I get to chat with music teachers all over the world, share my resources, and research music education topics from the solitude of my home office. Best of all, I get to read messages from teachers about how their students are begging to play the Musical Mansion or how a teacher used the Basics Series as a foundation for their distance learning curriculum. My vocation allows me to do what you’re all doing right now, making a difference in children’s lives through music.

MEANWHILE, IN MY PERSONAL LIFE

When I’m not creating resources or sharing ideas, I’m spending time with my husband, Brandon. We love to travel, have deep discussions, and stream our favorite shows (or animes). Our family includes a cat we adopted from a shelter, which we lovingly named Dr. Watson. You can observe all his cuteness on Instagram HERE.
Aside from singing and playing several instruments, my talents include: