Marilyn Smith

Hi! I am excited to be back at Ivy Hall for my 2nd year of teaching, but I have had children going through its fabulous programs since 2011. Interestingly, my husband attended Ivy Hall for his 8th grade year, so our family has known and loved this school for a very long time! My husband and I have been married for 16 years, lived in 5 different states in that time, and we have three children.

I have a Bachelor’s in Music from Brigham Young University, with a major in voice performance and a minor in chemistry. I also hold a Master in Music degree from Cleveland Institute of Music, where I studied opera performance and Dalcroze Eurhythmics. I speak Spanish, Italian, French, and German. I have performed in operas all over the world; my favorite roles to sing are Madame Butterfly (Puccini) and Violetta from La Traviata (Verdi). I have taught music from my home studio for 17 years, and also taught as adjunct faculty at a university for 3 years.

Since my oldest was born, I have taken a break from performing and completed certification with Let’s Play Music (elementary music education, group classes for ages 0-8 years) and Kodály Certification through Level II (primary and secondary school instruction, grades Pre-K through 4th). In addition to maintaining my private music studio, I happily substitute teach everything from pre-K through 10th grade here at Ivy Hall. (No subject scares me!). My absolute favorite part of teaching is the look of excitement on a child’s face when they make a new discovery!