Susan Farrell

Susan Farrell is a curriculum specialist for the Fine and Performing Arts, assessment and school improvement planning with the Calgary Board of Education which serves a student population of 96,000. For thirteen years she taught and coached senior high school instrumental music, concert bands, wind ensembles and jazz bands in a manner which allowed student musicians to develop the same understandings and habits of mind that professional musicians use to sustain and enhance their work. At the same time, she led a team of teachers committed to learning and teaching English, Instrumental Music and Social Studies in an interdisciplinary format. Great insights were gained from her prior work with elementary, junior high and learning disabled students both in classroom and musical settings.

Susan holds an Associate in Performance, an Honors Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Western Ontario, as well as a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from San Diego State University. She has studied with Howard Gardner (Multiple Intelligences Theory) and with David Perkins (Smart Schools: From Training Memories to Educating Minds).

While presenting assessment ideas and teacher workshops around the country, Susan’s practical articles on evaluation have been featured in professional journals and publications. Her busy life includes sharing musical interests with her husband who teaches musical theatre, choral and vocal music, and driving her two children to all their activities.