NPM-Music Educator of the Year

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2007 NPM Music Educator of the Year

Barbara Varian Barrett

Barbara Barrett

Barbara Varian Barrett has been teaching in the Archdiocese of San Francisco for the past twenty seven years. She is in her 21st year of teaching music full-time to over 600 students Kindergarten through eighth grade at St. Matthew School, located in San Mateo in Northern California. She directs two school choirs, serves as Music Director for the school's Drama Program and supervises the after-school Instrumental Program. She chairs the school's Liturgy committee and serves on the Parish Liturgy committee. She is also responsible for coordinating the music for school liturgies and special events for both school and parish.

Beyond her school responsibilities, Barbara has served as a liaison to the Department of Catholic Schools for almost thirty years. Through the years, she has contributed her time and expertise toward developing and updating the Music Guidelines (K-8). Last year, she served on the Archdiocesan Fine Arts Curriculum Committee to design Music Guidelines for Music K-8 for the Elementary Schools.

San Francisco became the first diocese in the country to include NPM's document " Catholic Connections to Music in the National Standards for Arts Education " She is the founder of the annual San Francisco Archdiocesan Choral and coordinated the event for the first twelve of its 20 year career. The format for the Festival has been adopted by several dioceses in California as well as out of state.

Barbara is a charter member of the Music Education Division. She served as the California State Representative for several years before coming on Board as the Western Regional Coordinator. As President, she helped author and supervise the division's current publication " Catholic Connections to Music in the National Standards for Arts Education " meant to provide a more inclusive resource for those involved with music education at all ages in Catholic churches and schools within the United States. Barbara currently serves on the Development Committee of the Gordon Institute of Music Learning and is certified to teach at the early Childhood and Elementary Levels using Dr. Gordon's Music Learning Theory.

Ms. Barrett received her Bachelor of Music degree from California State University of Fullerton and a Master of Arts degree in Music Education from California State University of San Francisco, where she also earned two teaching credentials.

She has presented workshops focusing on music curriculum in parochial settings for the Archdiocese of San Francisco as well as for state, regional and national conferences for the National Catholic Educators Association, MENC: Music Association for Music Education, California Music Education Association and the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. She is also a member of the Music Teachers Association of California, Northern California Association of Kodaly Educators and Pueri Cantores.

Past Recipients

2006
Catherine "Cathy" Galie

2005
Mark A. Friedman
Janet Vogt

2004
Sr. Lorna Zemke, OSF, DMA

2003
Sr. Pat Giljum

2002
Carmela (Millie) Connolly, Eastern Region
Sr. Winifred Crevier, OSF, Central Region
Sr. Teresita Espinosa, CSJ, Western Region

2001
Donna Kinsey

2000
Eileen M. Ballone, Eastern Region
Eva Harmon, Central Region
Marjorie Crider, Western Region