Elementary Vice President Candidates
 Heidi Bargsley has a BA in Music from Texas Woman’s University; she currently teaches 5th and 6th grade general music and choir at Hoover Elementary in Azle ISD as well as voice lessons from home. Bargsley currently holds the position of TMEA Elementary Region 30 Chair and is also the Executive Artistic Director of The Children’s Honor Choir, which has given her the opportunity to work with students from many districts and help provide professional development for the North Texas teachers. Bargsley’s choir has earned superior ratings at Epic Waters competitions and has helped orchestrate the Azle ISD Elementary Choir of over 120 students. In addition, she was recently awarded teacher of the year during the 2022-2023 school year. Prior to teaching in Azle ISD Bargsley taught Elementary music in Keller from 2008 – 2013 and taught voice lessons from 2013 – 2020 in varying years at GCISD, KISD and FWISD.
Ideas for assisting TCDA to live into the mission and purposes of the organization: First off, I would be honored and humbled to represent TCDA as your Elementary VP.
As an elementary music teacher, I share my passion of music with my students and the joy of singing using quality choral pieces for their young voices. As Elementary VP I will take this same passion to help music teachers throughout the state grow in their programs through reading and professional development sessions that serve the growing need of elementary music teachers.
My desire is to support the pursuit of excellence within the choral music profession while balancing the needs of our smallest communities as well as our more established larger districts. Sharing with other teachers and learning from other teachers has been a highlight in my career since returning to the classroom full-time in 2020. As Elementary VP this would simply broaden the stage of teachers and students that I could help impact and learn from.
As Elementary VP I would like to provide quality education to members on technology/choral resources to better serve them in the classroom and in their choirs. With many districts facing challenging financial situations, I would like to help elementary music teachers advocate for music and their choral programs. In addition, I would like to help teachers grow in their knowledge of quality and diverse choral literature and so much more.
Lastly, as Elementary VP I would like to be here to listen. Listen to what you need as Elementary teachers. Listen to what our Middle School directors need so we provide them with the best choral singers possible and listen to our community of singers and what they need from our organization, so our voice can be heard.
 Ashley Yarbrough is in her 32nd year of education. She has taught in Klein ISD, Conroe ISD, and is currently on staff for the Southeast Texas Kodály Institute. Her choirs have been consistent Sweepstakes winners and were awarded Outstanding Choir nine of eleven years at the Blinn Music Meet. She has served on multiple curriculum committees and created the Digital Learning Lessons for Conroe ISD during the 2020-2021 school year.
Mrs. Yarbrough received her B.M.E. from Texas Christian University and her M.M.E. from Kent State University. She plans to graduate in May 2024 with her D.M.E. from Liberty University. She completed her Kodály Certification at Sam Houston State University.
Ashley has presented workshops and clinics for multiple school districts, Kodály Educators of Texas, TMEA, and the Organization of American Kodály Educators. She is an active member of TMEA, TCDA, OAKE, IKS, and KET.
Ideas for assisting TCDA to live into the mission and purposes of the organization: I am honored to be nominated for the Elementary Vice President position of TCDA. Elementary music is where a child's music education begins, and we owe it to our students to provide them with the strongest foundation possible. If elected as Elementary Vice President, one of my priorities is to encourage more elementary music teachers to attend the TCDA convention. This begins by providing more clinics geared towards the elementary classroom. The curriculum demands are vast in the elementary music classroom, with many pedagogical challenges. Traditionally, there are few workshops offered at TCDA that focus on the needs of the elementary music educator beyond the choral ensemble. Additionally, many teachers unexpectedly find themselves in the elementary classroom immediately before the school year begins. Offering training for new music educators in this field is desperately needed at the summer convention.
Zoltán Kodály famously observed, “It is much more important who the singing master at Kisvárda (a school in a small village) is than who the director of the Opera House is, because a poor director will fail. (Often even a good one.) But a bad teacher may kill off the love of music for thirty years from thirty classes of pupils.” By focusing on more workshops and training for elementary music teachers, we will create a sound base for a child’s music education as they progress through school and beyond. This will generate students with a larger knowledge base prior to entering intermediate, junior high, and high school. Thus, in building a stronger musical foundation, the secondary choral programs will gain the ability to reach new heights in the state of Texas.
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