375: Meridee Winters Music Unpacked with Kate Capps

The TopCast: The Official Music Teachers' Podcast

In this episode, we explore the innovative Meridee Winters Music Method through the insights of Kate Capps, a key figure in its development and implementation. Kate shares her journey from discovering music at five years old to studying at Berklee College of Music and eventually joining Meridee Winters' Philadelphia school in 2007. Over the past 17 years, Kate has become Meridee's right-hand person, contributing to the creation and evolution of the method’s groundbreaking books and materials. Kate discusses the method's chord and pattern-based approach, its focus on creativity and playfulness, and how it engages students, especially teenagers. Kate also reveals exciting upcoming projects and supplemental materials designed to further enrich the music learning experience. Join us to explore how Meridee Winters Music is transforming music education by fostering creativity and connection.

• Kate shared a brief overview of her background and her journey working with Meridee Winters.
• She shared how she came about working for Meridee Winters School of Music.
• She shared about Meridee's background as a lifelong musician and elementary classroom teacher disheartened by the lack of creativity in traditional education.
• Meridee's career path, including owning karate schools and working in recording studios before teaching adult musicians to accompany themselves.
• How Meridee developed a method to teach chords and patterns, integrating her education background and creativity.
• The importance of teaching music as a creative art and language art.
• The balance of incorporating reading music into the method while maintaining creativity.
• Kate shared about Meridee's books, Chord Crash Course and Chord Quest.
• Tim highlights the need for beginner methods for teenagers that make music fun and relatable.
• The importance of connecting with teenage students to keep them engaged in music.
• Kate shares about some upcoming projects of Meridee Winters Music.
• The concept of integrated music teaching, which helps students understand and find connections in music.

Links Mentioned

• Meridee Winters Website
• Meridee Winters Instagram Page
• Meridee Winters Facebook Page
• Email Kate at [e-mail]

Today’s Guest

Kate discovered music at five years old, after inheriting a piano from a neighbor's basement. Recognizing her immediate love for the instrument, her parents signed her up for lessons and Kate’s career as a musician was born. Songwriting quickly became a passion, and led Kate to Berklee College of Music, where she studied songwriting, voice and piano, and graduated magna cum laude. In 2007, Kate began working with Meridee Winters in as a teacher for her Philadelphia school, where she taught piano, voice and songwriting and fell in love with Meridee’s creative approach to teaching music. Over the past 17 years working with Meridee, Kate’s role has evolved into Meridee’s “right hand person” and editor for her trailblazing books and materials, while still remaining actively involved with the school’s teachers, curriculum and events.

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