Intergenerational Song and Dance

Dr. Rachel Gibson is an Associate Professor of Music and coordinator of music education at Westfield State University in Massachusetts. She is a specialist in early childhood and elementary music education, an active clinician at state and national conferences, and on faculty at the University of Montevallo Kodály Institute in Alabama.  Her research interests include folk song traditions in Central America and has recently completed a nine-month sabbatical in Guatemala and Nicaragua where she engaged in folk song collection and language study.  Dr. Gibson has completed four levels of Kodály training, one level of Orff training, and has published articles in the Kodály Envoy and Massachusetts Music News. Prior to her current position, she taught K-6 general and choral music for 15 years in New York, Connecticut, and Washington State. She also maintained a large piano studio where she taught lessons to children and adults. 

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At Rowe Center, Rachel co-leads "Generations Camp" with her father-in-law Walt Cudnohufsky where grandparents and grandchildren engage in a full weekend of musical and artistic play.  Rachel lives in Amherst with her husband and two children.