Townsend Schools Has A New Music Teacher
 | Author:
Tia Tallwhiteman, BHS Reporter
Tia Tallwhiteman, Student Contributor |
Townsend Schools Has a New Music Teacher
Tia Tallwhiteman
BHS Reporter
The new music teacher, Mrs. Karen Walton, dedicates her time to music, walking her dog, and running when she has the time. When asked how she likes teaching here, she smiled and said, “I really love teaching something that I went to college for, instead of something I didn’t. Like my last job.”
Mrs. Walton was born in Western Pennsylvania, an hour away from Pittsburgh, and she grew up on a family farm where she raised cattle and grew crops. She took piano lessons since she was four years old, which inspired her to join a band in high school to learn other instruments. During her high school career, she became proficient in playing the flute, oboe, trumpet, and percussion. She joined the honor choir when she was a freshman and ran in track and cross country her freshman year through her junior year.
She received a four-year degree in music at the University of Rhode Island. She also went to several other colleges before she really wanted to learn about music. She took classes to become proficient in other family instruments. She took conducting and sight-reading classes, four semesters worth of music theory and three semesters of music history with applied voice lessons.
According to Mrs. Walton, she travelled to all 50 states and approximately 30 different countries. She initially traveled just for fun. She then moved to Livingston, then to Three Forks, where she took a job as a front desk assistant. She worked there for eleven years. During that time, she moved to Radersburg and commuted. She was offered a job in Townsend this spring, which she then took and now teaches for the Bulldogs.
Mrs. Walton teaches multiple music classes, which include a 5th Grade Band class, a Middle School Band Class, and more High School classes. She is the High School Pep Band conductor and the High School Choir director. Mrs. Walton is wonderful with her students, treating them all equally and fairly. BHS is glad to have another great music teacher.
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Image 1 Caption: Mrs. Karen Walton teaches band, pep band and music classes for Townsend Schools. This is her first year at our school.
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Image 2 Caption: Tia- Headshot
