About Kathy Essmiller
I am the Edmon Low Library Open Educational Resources Librarian at Oklahoma State University (OSU), where I also serve as the library's Academic Liaison to the OSU Michael and Anne Greenwood School of Music and the OSU Department of Theatre.
I am an OSDE certified teacher, with an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Kansas State University, a Master's degree in trumpet performance from the University of Central Oklahoma, a Master’s degree in Education from Oklahoma State University, a Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching from Oklahoma State University and a PhD in Educational Technology in progress from Oklahoma State University. I have five years of secondary level teaching experience in Kansas, eight years of experience designing and teaching secondary instrumental and general/technology/worship arts music courses and four years of higher ed teaching experience in Oklahoma. I served one year as the classroom music teacher for a Title 1 elementary school in the Oklahoma City area, a year that has greatly influenced my commitment to advocacy for and support of high quality Open Educational Resources (OER). My research interests include Open Educational Resources, Open Access, the partnership of effective instructional design and digital resources to maximize the accessibility of arts instruction for all populations, the empowerment of creativity through playful approaches to study and exploration, and creativity in the arts and in industry.
My teaching philosophy is heavily influenced by Shinichi Suzuki. I began studying violin using the Suzuki method under Norma Jean Seaton when I was almost four years old, and I bring her belief in Suzuki's conviction that all people have talent into my educational practice. I believe that we construct understanding through interaction with others and our environment, and that instructional design informed by knowledge of how people learn facilitates effective pedagogy.
I am an OSDE certified teacher, with an undergraduate degree in Music Education from Kansas State University, a Master's degree in trumpet performance from the University of Central Oklahoma, a Master’s degree in Education from Oklahoma State University, a Graduate Certificate in Online Teaching from Oklahoma State University and a PhD in Educational Technology in progress from Oklahoma State University. I have five years of secondary level teaching experience in Kansas, eight years of experience designing and teaching secondary instrumental and general/technology/worship arts music courses and four years of higher ed teaching experience in Oklahoma. I served one year as the classroom music teacher for a Title 1 elementary school in the Oklahoma City area, a year that has greatly influenced my commitment to advocacy for and support of high quality Open Educational Resources (OER). My research interests include Open Educational Resources, Open Access, the partnership of effective instructional design and digital resources to maximize the accessibility of arts instruction for all populations, the empowerment of creativity through playful approaches to study and exploration, and creativity in the arts and in industry.
My teaching philosophy is heavily influenced by Shinichi Suzuki. I began studying violin using the Suzuki method under Norma Jean Seaton when I was almost four years old, and I bring her belief in Suzuki's conviction that all people have talent into my educational practice. I believe that we construct understanding through interaction with others and our environment, and that instructional design informed by knowledge of how people learn facilitates effective pedagogy.
You can see more of my work by exploring my graduate school portfolio, checking out the website for a music technology course I designed, or browsing posts by the Oklahoma State University Emerging Technologies and Creativity Research Lab.
"Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play." ~Henry Matisse
