Missy Barker,
Instructor
Missy has been making music ever since
she can remember.
As a small child, Missy loved to sing.
She would sit on a swing and sing; she
would sing while doing chores;
she would sing at the dinner table. In
fact, her singing was so ever-present,
her parents had to make a “no
singing at the table” rule to appease
her siblings who sometimes wanted a
little peace and quiet.
Missy started playing piano at age 6
and hasn't stopped since. She began
playing and
singing in church at age 12 and picked
up guitar in her high-school
years with which she played traditional
old-time music with a bluegrass
band. High school choir quickly became
her favorite class in her teenage years.
Missy also spent a lot of time making
music with her
family, in the form of car sing-alongs,
living-room jam
sessions, special music for church, and
impromptu kitchen dance
sessions with her brother.
Missy began teaching piano at age 14
when the
parents of the kids she was babysitting
began asking for lessons for
their kids. Although she enjoyed her
high school piano-teaching job,
she realized she
needed more education. Missy attended
Portland State University to
study pedagogy with Mary Kogen.
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After
graduating with a
BA in Music, she began volunteering
part-time in the nursery at a drug and
alcohol treatment
center, where she was able to see the
amazing effects music can have on
children – even those as young as
newborns! She became certified as a
Kindermusik teacher in order to learn
more about how to incorporate
music into the lives of very young
children.
For the past
12 years Missy was located in Portland,
Oregon, where she was an instructor and
director of Green Grass Music, a small
music school offering private piano
lessons, pre-piano classes, and
Kindermusik classes. Recently Missy has
relocated to central Oregon, and is
excited to be teaching classes in
Prineville.
Besides
teaching and making music, Missy enjoys
reading, traveling, and helping her
husband with his new business, Solstice
Brewing Company. She also
cherishes the time she spends with her
husband, Joseph, and her two sons, Birch
and Riddley.
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