TEACHER'S CORNER: NO `DEAD AIR' IN FORMER RADIO BROADCASTER'S MUSIC CLASSROOM

As a former radio broadcaster, Mary C. Mims works to avoid "dead air" in her classroom.

As a music teacher at Washington Elementary School, she plans two or three different activities for each lesson.

"I believe music is a living, moving art form," she said. "We might start with rhythmic movement, then go to singing and even throw in some bell playing."

The result: No dead air.

"With music, a boring teacher can only result in the death of desire," Mims said. "I know those are strong words, especially when I'm talking about elementary-aged students, but I hope I have inspired a few of them to want to learn more and do more music."

One of the greatest compliments Mims has received was in an essay written by a fourth grader.

The fourth grader said, "The reason I enjoy going to music is because I never know what Mrs. Mims will do next."

This year, Mims is helping start a DARE choir at the school.

The choir will prepare a musical, "Forever Free," based on a theme of drug and alcohol resistance.

She has recently published several articles on classroom management in national music education journals.

And, she has begun investigating the relationship of color and music.

Mims has been a music educator for 13 years. This is her fourth year in public schools.

She met her husband, Bruce, when he was her boss at a public radio station in Troy, Ala.

"I think they hired me because I could pronounce all the composers' names correctly," she said.

They moved to Cape Girardeau in 1989 when he was hired to teach mass communications at Southeast Missouri State University.

She was looking for a job and took a temporary position teaching voice at Southeast, but after 10 years, she said it was time for a change.

She was advised to do some teaching in the public schools before continuing her doctoral work in music.

"And I never regretted my move to the elementary level," she said.