Personal Statement

I am an accomplished musician able to transmit not only my love for music but also the technical skill required by my students to enjoy music for the rest of their lives. I play several instruments, both piano and percussion professionally, and several string and wind instruments for fun.

My goal is to create independent, self-directed learners and leaders. I am an enthusiastic teacher with great rapport with my students. I want them to be fully-rounded individuals who can share their love of music with their world. To this end I teach my students to read music independently and to conduct our music groups themselves. My teaching style is very hands-on, active, and discovery oriented. Children learn best by doing things themselves. At our concerts most groups are led by student conductors. I actually get to sit in the audience sometimes!

I am Debby Lyttle. I was married 23 years to Ron Lyttle who passed away in 2002. We have two grown children, Andy and Anna. I graduated from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon in 2001 with a Master of Arts in Teaching in music with a 3.66 grade point average. We hosted international students in our home from 1993 through 2000.

I am currently teaching at Colegio Maya, the American International School in Guatemala City. I was an exchange student to Costa Rica during high school and have been to Mexico several times as an interpreter and leader for several youth groups. We have hosted international students and teachers in our home for the past 25 years.

Teaching Experience

Currently teaching Music to grades 3 through grade 12 at Colegio Maya in Guatemala City. I started a band program, have co-directed the Middle School Musical, write a weekly e-newsletter about musical happenings in Guatemala, and am generally increasing awareness of musical intelligence all over the campus.

I have started a student conducting program with student from my more advanced groups learning to conduct the younger groups (it's all about the kids!).

My music groups have performed in a variety of venues both in the school and in the outside commnunity including the US Embassy and local public schools. We have participated in the greater Guatemalan music community with students singing in the children's chorus of the opera Tosca and students, teachers, and parents participating in a production of Handel's Messiah, (Rehearsal pictures) (Prensa Libre article) in 2004

Prior experience:
Music and Spanish teacher for five years in the Oregon City School District at Linkup. I taught all aspects of music and Spanish to all grades K-12 for five years in the Oregon City School District at Linkup. I am also the registrar for the school and webmaster for the school web site. I supervise a student-run store which raises several hundred dollars for the music program each year. At Linkup I started the instrumental program with 9 students. I now teach three levels of both band and orchestra, music theory, and conducting. One of my joys is the conducting program. Students in the advanced band and orchestra may sign up to be a student conductor in one of the younger groups. For the programs I don't even have to be on stage. The students run the whole show.

One year temporary position at Lake Oswego Junior High in choir and general music. Adapted lessons for six handicapped students to allow their full participation in the choir. When they each sang the National Anthem solo for the class, the rest of the students cheered. Designed technology lessons that culminated in students creating original music videos.

Two years at Welches Elementary School as a general music, choir, reading, and Spanish teacher. Started the vocal music program with 13 students. By the end of my second year the program had grown to over 90 students in three choirs. However, because of the long commute, almost an hour's drive, I chose to find something closer to home.

One of the most successful programs I put on at Welches was the Spring program. The date chosen by the school conflicted with the community sports schedule and several children had already informed me that they wouldn't be at the program. So, at my instigation and in collaboration with their classroom teachers and the P.E. teacher, we put on an open house with an integrated program. In their classrooms the children were studying Africa and South America. The children learned songs, dances, and games from their chosen countries and created travel brochures and displays for their families to view at anytime during the evening. At one point they had a demonstration of the music, dances, and games. This program was very well received by both parents and administrators.

At Linkup I started the instrumental program with 9 students. After five yeard I had three levels of both band and orchestra, music theory, and conducting. I coordinated the concerts of my own students and those of two other music teachers.

One of my joys was the conducting program. Students in the advanced band and orchestra signed up to be a student conductor in one of the younger groups. For the programs I didn't even have to be on stage. The students ran the whole show.

I ran my own piano studio for over 20 years with students receiving awards in music composition. Before I received my teaching license I taught music and Spanish in a private school my children attended.

I directed a community women's choir; Encore. As director I was responsible for auditioning new members, choosing the program, scheduling rehearsals and concerts, and working with the Board of Directors. Involved with the design of the program is collaborating with various other community music groups; including Intel's "Voice Connection", Canby School's Junior Handbell Choir, Tigard United Methodist Church Choir, and the West Linn High School Dance Team. We took our program out into the surrounding community and performed for retirement and senior centers. I also maintained the choir web site which was used by members for communicating updated information (the next week's rehearsal order is always posted immediately after the current rehearsal) and by community members to find out about our upcoming performances and activities.

I was also percussion section leader in the Oregon Symphonic Band: OSB. My responsibilities there included recruiting musicians to fill positions within the percussion section, rehearsing sectionals, and securing equipment for all concert sites.