Spread the news! In July 2026, we are excited to offer a new course for general classroom educators, SongWorks in the General Classroom. Instructors Sandy Murray, Emilee Knell, and Jen Purdy will explore the ways to apply SongWorks teaching to a variety of educational settings beyond the music room. You may have colleagues who are excited for this opportunity! Learn more about the faculty, below.
Sandy Murray
Sandy Murray has been with the SongWorks organization since its inception. SongWorks has always been at the heart of her work as a classroom generalist teacher, a district music helping teacher, a past faculty mentor and sessional instructor in the education program at the University of the Fraser Valley, and a current workshop presenter. She is a recipient of the British Columbia Music Educators Association Professional Music Educator Award. Sandy started her teaching career in the late 70s in the primary general classroom. A local course in Education Through Music inspired her to not only sing, move, and play with her grade one students every day, but also to develop ways to incorporate the songs in her language arts program. When she was a Grade 4 and 5 teacher she continued to weave music into instruction throughout the day as well as integrate music into various areas of the curriculum. During her time as a District Music Helping Teacher, Sandy worked primarily with general classroom teachers in the elementary grades. The SongWorks approach, strongly rooted in ETM, was a natural fit for the general classroom setting. Teachers grew comfortable singing and playing folk song games with their students. Moreover, they valued the richness of the song game experience for their children and the well-being of their classroom community. Opportunities for joyful music making and learning, language development, thinking skills, social and emotional growth, and physical activity were ever-present. Sandy is excited to connect with general classroom teachers this summer at the SongWorks course!
Emilee Knell
Emilee Knell has been involved in music education for 30 years. She has taught courses on music in the elementary classroom at Utah Valley University (UVU), University of Utah (U of U), and currently teaches at Brigham Young University (BYU). She also serves as the Director of the BYU Young Musicians Academy (YMA), a preschool music lab. She has been involved with the YMA for 18 years. Emilee is a PhD candidate in music education at the University of Utah where her focus is on early childhood and elementary music education, children’s choir, and music integration. She was also the music professional development partner for the U of U Beverly Taylor Sorenson Arts Partnership program. Before digging into her PhD, she taught music for six years at Timpanogos Elementary in Provo City School District. Emilee is currently a SongWorks Certification Faculty Member and she has presented at numerous conferences, both locally and nationally. She has an MA in Music Education and a BA in Music, both from BYU.
Jennifer Purdy
Jennifer Purdy has over 40 years of education experience in her roles as an elementary music teacher, a middle school special education teacher/director, and a private piano teacher. She is currently a program coordinator for the BYU ARTS Partnership program. In 2014, she was named Salt Lake School District’s Outstanding Arts Educator of the Year, and in 2018, she was awarded Elementary Music Educator of the Year by the Utah Music Educators Association. Jen specializes in developing and integrating arts curriculum with classroom core subjects. She has instructed pre-service, elementary, and music teachers at Westminster College, the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Dixie State University, Weber State University, and Utah State University. Jen draws on her course certifications in Orff, Kodály, and SongWorks as she teaches workshops around the state on how to utilize music and the arts in elementary school classrooms.
