Jack Erb

Email

Primary Email: [email protected]

Phone/Fax

Primary Phone: 619-594-6031

Building/Location

Music - 256

Bio

As a lecturer at SDSU, Mr. Erb brings to the School of Music & Dance the practical experience of an elementary music specialist. He served as an elementary instrumental music specialist for the widely respected Poway Unified School District until his retirement in 2018 after 32 years and roughly 15,000 students. He is grateful that one of his SDSU Music Education students was hired to fill his job upon his retirement. Mr. Erb uses those years of successful teaching to enthusiastically share pragmatic insights and directly applicable skills with his students. Mr. Erb strives to impart to his students the musical skills and the confidence necessary to be able to “do music” whether in their future classrooms or in their lives. Jack has also served as a master teacher/mentor for SDSU music education students and has been a cooperating teacher for the SDSU Music Education Program for over 25 years.

He has earned accolades throughout his teaching career. He was recognized at the state level as the 2017 Elementary Music Educator of the Year by the California Music Educators Association (CMEA). He received the John Swain College/University Music Educator Award from the CMEA - Southern Border Section in 2018. He was selected as the Elementary Instrumental Music Teacher of the year (2004-05 & 2001-02) by the CMEA - Southern Border Section. The residential students at SDSU named him as a Favorite Teacher in 2015. He was Teacher of the Year for Shoal Creek Elementary School (Poway Unified) and recipient of the California Congress of Parents, Teachers and Students “Continuing Service Award” in recognition of outstanding service to children and youth (2005).

“I believe that music is a significant part of the whole child. A child’s life is incomplete without music. We sing lullabies to our infants; we sing silly songs with our toddlers; we sing songs that teach the alphabet with our preschoolers; we sing songs about character and our country with our primary grade children; and it continues throughout a young person’s life on into adulthood. It is my steadfast belief that music education offers richness and depth to the human experience and teaches so much more than just musical skills. To paraphrase a number of mentors and fellow teachers for whom I have great respect, I believe that I teach life skills through the medium of music. The skills I teach help create better citizens. Better citizens create a better world.”

Education

• MA.Ed, University of Phoenix
• BA, Music, San Diego State University