Today we’d like to introduce you to Kira Rappaport.
Hi Kira, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I spent a summer at Interlochen National Music Camp in Michigan before my freshman year of high school. It was there that I fell in love with music and decided to pursue a career as a professional flute player. I went to Oberlin and USC and got a Bachelor’s degree in flute performance. Then I moved to NYC to create a life for myself as a flute player.
I had a blast studying with world-renowned teachers and eventually began playing in bands in the East Village. I spent time performing and recording with my own band and performed with other musicians as well. After a few years in New York, I came upon the School for Strings, where very young children learn to play the cello, violin and piano. I fell in love with early childhood music and joined their faculty teaching music theory to ages 2-12. I eventually created and taught their Parent and Me Music Program. The more I taught, the less I wanted to perform. After 7 years in NYC, I left my band, returned to LA and geeked out on music education. I took every workshop and watched every teacher I could. I earned an M.A. in Music with a focus on Orff Schulwerk and Early Childhood Music Education. I fell in love with teaching over 20 years ago and I’m still going strong today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My road to becoming a music teacher was relatively smooth. Once I realized how lit up I felt when making music with young children and their families, a lot of doors opened. Of course, there were a few rejections along the way, but I was quite certain that my path lay in music education. My biggest challenge was a diagnosis of tongue cancer in the fall of 2021. Thankfully, we caught it early, but I did have to have surgery on my tongue, followed by 6 weeks of radiation. Although it was a challenging time, I am incredibly grateful that I can still sing and play the flute, so my cancer story had a happy ending.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I believe that music is an essential part of early childhood; singing, moving, dancing and playing percussion instruments are wonderful ways for children to express themselves, relate to the world around them and connect to their families. I currently teach Outdoor Parent and Me Music Classes in parks and backyards on the Westside of Los Angeles for families with children ages birth to 5. I have 2 albums of music for children; Sing Together and Beautiful Day available on all streaming platforms. My next album, titled Listen and Breathe, is entirely original music for children and will be released in Spring 2023. In addition, I teach college classes and professional development workshops to preschool teachers on the use of music in the early childhood classroom. I have songs that I’m turning into children’s books and I am developing a children’s television show that educates children on musical concepts and uses children’s literature as a jumping-off point for musical experiences.
I am most proud of the fact that, years later, I have students tell me how much my music classes meant to them when they were little and I have more than a few former students who have gone on to become musicians and music educators.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
I have learned that ritual, routine and connection are essential to the human experience. Right after the shutdown in March of 2020, I started posting preschool music classes on YouTube. Creating these classes provided me with a daily routine, a sense of purpose and the ability to be of service to so many families who were staying home with young children. I had parents thank me for providing the ritual of music class to help structure their days, I also learned that you CAN connect on Zoom! I happily taught twice weekly zoom music classes and really bonded with so many families. Having a baby can be lonely and isolating and being able to connect on zoom was a wonderful surprise to many of us.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.MusicWithKira.com
- Instagram: @musicwithkira
- Facebook: Music with Kira
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MusicwithKira
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7fezzbAqaYc83xZd2e6qN3
Image Credits
Joe Pier, Ashleigh Gia Zickerman
