Teaching Artist Bio

Beth Sussman presents student and teacher workshops as a Master Teaching Artist with The Los Angeles Music Center, The Kennedy Center and Segerstrom Center for the Arts. 

In her student workshops, she uses music to covertly connect to academic subjects including reading fluency, symbols, comparing and contrasting, author’s intent and fractions.  The kids are just having a great time all while implementing 21st century skills such as creativity, critical thinking, communication and community. Social/Emotional Learning (SEL) is embedded in each of Beth’s workshops.

Beth’s workshop lessons for “Peter and the Wolf” and “Carnival of the Animals” have been used worldwide.

She has led teacher workshops for The Kennedy Center’s National Arts Integration Conference, The Midwest Arts Integration Conference, Cal State Fullerton, Hofstra University, Diller-Quaile School of Music (NY) and at many schools and school districts throughout California.

Beth’s YouTube video “Joppity” features puppets and kids doing her steady beat activities and has been used nationwide.  It is a Hollywood produced video c0-created by writers from “The Simpsons”, “Sonic Boom” and “Suite Life of Zack & Cody”.  Beat perception and an inner sense of timing are neurologically connected to reading fluency.  With practice, an inner sense of timing can greatly improve reading fluency.

Beth received her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from The Juilliard School where she was on full scholarship and has been awarded fellowships with The Jubilation and the Hermitage Foundations.