About Darlene

Darlene (she/her/hers) is a Filipina-American music educator, performer, and lifelong learner. She received a Master’s of Music Education degree from VanderCook College of Music and has two Bachelor’s of Music degrees in Music Education and Piano Performance from Biola University.

As a pianist, Darlene gave her solo debut at Carnegie Hall, accompanies regularly for choirs, and has extensive experience playing in contemporary church worship bands.

Her ultimate passion is in education, with more than a decade of teaching experience in a variety of music learning environments. She has directed groups from children’s choruses to collegiate-level ensembles, led musical theater shows, instructed piano lessons in private and group settings, and mentored teachers and college students. Darlene has several years of teaching Transitional Kindergarten through 6th grade General Music and 5th/6th Grade Chorus. She was previously the district Elementary General Music Department Chair, helped create general music curriculum decisions, directed the district honor choir, and was an induction mentor for early-career teachers.

Currently, Darlene is the Director of Choral Activities at La Quinta High School in Westminster, CA, running a program consisted of three choirs. Her choirs receive Superior festival ratings, are often invited to workshop with music industry professionals, and actively sing for the community. In addition, she instructs AP Music Theory and piano courses and is advisor to the school’s Tri-M Music Honor Society. In 2022, Darlene has been named a national recipient of the Music Teacher of Excellence award by the Country Music Association (CMA) Foundation.

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In addition to teaching, Darlene is an active author and national presenter, speaking for organizations such as Hal Leonard, NAfME, and VH1 Save the Music. Her work is committed to promoting learner-centered music education for all people and to challenging traditional systems of the status quo. She was one of intital 15 national teacher leaders training with NAfME and Connected Arts Project and is currently a member of the ArtsEdSEL Practice Advisory Board, F-Flat Books Visionary Board and the Social and Emotional Learning team for Music for All. She co-hosts a podcast called Coloring the Melody in which she advocates for unique perspectives as a female music teacher of color. Her research interests are SEL (social and emotional learning), culturally responsive teaching, and ABAR (anti-bias and anti-racist) work, specifically in general music and in piano pedagogy.

In her free time, you can find Darlene strolling around Disneyland, trying new restaurants with her husband, and playing with her Siberian Husky dog, Kobe.

For collaboration or presentation/workshop inquiries, please click here.

Media

Publications:

Features:

Past Presentations:

  • SEL and CAN Grant Project Panel: National Association for Music Education Conference - November 2022

  • University of South Carolina School of Music Guest Lecturer: “Social Emotional Learning in Music (Creating, Performing, Responding and Connecting for Student Identity, Belonging and Agency)” - June 2022

  • Wabash Family Education Center: “Music & SEL: Working Together for Positive Student Outcomes (K-8)” - April 2022

  • Teaching Artist Training Institute: “SEL and Classroom Management” - March 2022

  • Education through Music (Los Angeles): “Transformative SEL in the Music Room” - February 2022

  • Fall Workshop with Mr. S Orff: “Student-Centered SEL in Your General Music Room: The Groundwork for Social Justice” - November 2021

  • NAfME Chapter guest - Vanguard University - November 2021

  • “Introduction to Music Education” guest speaker - Biola University - November 2021

  • Midwest Kodaly Fall Virtual Conference: “Questioning Going ‘Back to Normal’: Breaking Barriers with SEL” - October 2021

  • VH1 Save the Music Foundation + ArtsEdSEL: “Belonging and SEL in Music Education” - October 2021

  • Beyond Inclusion: “SEL + Building Student-Centered Classrooms” - September 2021

  • F-Flat Books: “You get SEL, and you get SEL!”: Going Beyond Surface-Level Implementation of Social and Emotional Learning in the Music Room” - August 2021

  • Education Through Music (Colorado): “A Critical Lens of SEL in the Music Room” - August 2021

  • Music Ed Forward - Recalibrating Music Education Curriculum and Instruction - Fall 2021 and Beyond “Music Education and Social Emotional Learning: Meeting the Needs of ALL of Our Students” - August 2021

  • NAfME 2021 July Virtual Conference “Making Equity Actionable” - Keynote: “More Than a Feeling: Intro to ABAR SEL in the Music Room” - July 2021

  • Amplify RJ (Restorative Justice) - Dismantle White Supremacy Culture in the Music Room and Beyond - July 2021

  • International Music Education Summit Elementary Music Workshop: “More Than A Feeling: An Anti-Bias and Anti-Racist Lens of Social Emotional Learning in the Elementary Music Classroom" - July 2021

  • Hal Leonard’s Virtual Music Education Summit: Looking Forward to 2021-2022 - July 2021

  • Little Kids Rock - Virtual Modern Band Summit: “Let the Learners Lead: A Cultural Focus on PBL” - July 2021

  • Educators2Educators Teacher Summer Reboot: "First Days of School: Setting the Tone for the Year with Music” - July 2021

  • Metro Nashville Public Schools: Teaching for Equity: “It’s not just another thing to do” - April 2021

  • NAfME/NAMM Virtual Capitol Hill Congressional Briefing - "Music, Arts, and SEL: Working Together for Positive Student Outcomes" - March 2021

  • Vibrant Music Teaching Teacher Turboboost: “Moving Beyond Diversity and Inclusion: A Critical Examination of Piano Repertoire” - March 2021

  • Music Education Course guest speaker - California State University (Fullerton) - February 2021

  • California All-State Music Educators Conference (CASMEC): "Breaking the Cycle of Eurocentric Music Approaches in the Virtual Elementary Classroom" - February 2021

  • Noteflight: “ALL Music for ALL Students” - January 2021

  • Tonara InspirED Music Expo: “Why We Should Break the Cycle of Eurocentric Music Approaches” - December 2020

  • F-flat Books: “Introduction to Breaking the Cycle of Elementary Eurocentric Music Approaches” - August 2020