Brandon Kurzawa
Brandon Kurzawa is a highly accomplished music professional with over 24 years of experience in music education. He founded Music Notes Academy in 2000, providing high-quality music education and preparing students for performances, assessments, and auditions.
Brandon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Rutgers University and a Master of Arts in Education. He is a percussionist with an impressive track record of recording credits and has contributed significantly to music education through published articles and books.
Brandon is also the Festival Director of MAMTG Student Music Festival and has received the NJSBDC's Success Award on behalf of Music Notes Academy's staff.
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My philosophy of education has grown and changed in myriad ways since I began teaching in 2014. During the COVID lockdown, I only saw my students for 15 minutes each week over Zoom; this limited time frame made me really examine how I prioritize my content and curricular goals. Before, I’d always thought about music as being the center of my curriculum, and then loved the “bonus factors” of learning music: teamwork, SEL, creativity, etc.; with such limited time together, I realized that I wanted to prioritize the students’ personal growth over their musical growth, so I rearranged my curriculum to have social justice and social-emotional wellness at the center and using music and performance as a lens for students to grow in those areas.
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