ICA Pedagogy Lunch and Learn with Dr. Kristen Denny-Chambers

ICA Pedagogy Lunch and Learn: Student Buy-In with Dr. Kristen Denny-Chambers – March 29, 2025 – 12pm-1pm

Student buy-in is critical when working with music students one-on-one and in group settings. Regardless of experience or position, an instructor can engage or shut down the reception of students in a matter of minutes. In this Lunch and Learn, Dr. Kristen Denny-Chambers will be sharing ways she has addressed student buy-in while discussing how positive and negative experiences have shaped her approach.

Bio:

Dr. Kristen Denny-Chambers, clarinetist, teacher, composer, and founder of Clarinet Playground, has performed as a freelance, chamber and orchestral clarinetist in several venues including the Ameropa Chamber Music Festival in Prague, the Fort Smith Symphony, Wyoming Symphony, Longmont Symphony, Colorado Light Opera and the Tulsa Symphony. Having no formal compositional training, Kristen wrote a clarinet exercise book called “Prep Steps Before You Kroepsch” in 2016 with the goal of bridging the gap between high school and college-level clarinet methods. A few years later, Kristen began writing the “Finger Fitness Études” series and has also been writing solo and ensemble pieces for all clarinets. There are plans for many more books and pieces to come. Dr. Denny-Chambers holds degrees from the University of Tulsa, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the University of Colorado-Boulder. Kristen has many interests and tends to jump from one thing to another depending on how the mood strikes. She enjoys writing music, of course, teaching private lessons, performing with local groups, participating in open mic events, learning to play new instruments, going on road trips, exploring new towns and natural sights, hiking, biking, cooking, painting, reading, watching movies, and learning from people from all kinds of backgrounds. Kristen lives in Longmont, Colorado with her two children and her husband, a band instrument repairman with his own shop in Boulder.