Music educator Heather Rosner of Alexandria, Virginia, named a “40 Under 40” honoree by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. Photo Credit: Northern Virginia Magazine

Here’s an absolutely amazing music teacher whose story I would like to share. Her name is Heather Rosner, and she teaches at George Mason Elementary School in Alexandria Virginia. In 2022, Heather was named a “40 Under 40” honoree by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce.

Heather’s employment at Mason Elementary spans 12 years. Over this period, the honored educator has expanded the school’s music program to include every student in the fourth and fifth grades. But clearly, the most challenging period of her career took place during the Covid pandemic. When schools were closed down, Heather adapted her music program by providing wind, brass, and percussion instruments for every one of her 120 students to practice with at home. She made home visits, tuning and repairing the instruments, and supplementing her virtual instruction with one-on-one tutorials.

Once schools were re-opened at the start of the 2021-2022 school year, Heather’s District’s protocols did not allow for wind instruments, and students were required to wear masks at all times while in the classroom. Heather adapted to those conditions, too. “I totally changed what music looked like at our school,” she explains. She introduced her students to the bass guitar, drums, and ukuleles.

Heather, who was born in Rockville, Maryland, earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Education from Ithaca College in New York. She also studied with a drum and gyil ensemble in Ghana. The gyil is a traditional West African wooden xylophone.

In June 2022, Heather was named to the “40 Under 40” list created by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. Each honoree, says the Chamber, was selected for their professional accomplishments, scholastic achievement, community impact, and personal story. In September 2022, Heather was named a finalist for Northern Virginia Magazine’s Teacher of the Year awards. Her nomination came as the result of widespread praise from her students’ families.

To read more about Heather Rosner, see this article published about her by Ithaca College.