MUSIC TEACHER FINDS RHYTHM, JOY FOR CHILDREN WITH FEROCIOUS APPETITES

Music classes at Washington Elementary School have a decidedly 1990s sound with an automatic background rhythm machine and an electronic keyboard.

Youngsters take standards like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and turn it into "Itsy Bitsy Spider Rap." Older students are using the rhythms for background to write original raps using the names of the 50 states.

Music teacher Kathy Keller said children have a ferocious appetite for learning and it's her job to keep things well-organized and fun.

This is Keller's first year teaching music at Washington, but she's been a music teacher for years. She has taught piano students in her home, directed church choirs and directed children's musical theater.

She is trained in the Suzuki and Orff methods of teaching music to young children.

"I'm fascinated by the way that they interpret life," she said. "Common everyday things are magical for them. They inspire me never to take anything for granted and to try to see life the way they do as an exciting adventure to be explored and mastered."

Keller and her two children, Rebecca, who is 12, and Ryan, who is 10, perform together at a variety of community events. Later this month they will perform a 45-minute act at the Southern Illinois University Arts Festival, which is designed to educate and entertain elementary school students in the arts. The Kellers' act includes violins, singing, dancing and audience participation. This will be their fifth performance at the annual festival.

Keller earned her bachelor's degree in music education from Sterling College in Sterling, Kan. Before beginning work at Washington, Keller was vocal music director for the Bloomfield School District, which includes children from kindergarten through high school.

She is married to Roy Keller, professor of journalism at Southeast Missouri State University.

At Washington, students in grades four through six may audition for a "Dare Choir," which Keller directs. Students develop a musical performance with a message about preventing substance abuse. They will take the show on the road in March and April.