ChaKerya Garland

agarland@kidznotes.org

ChaKerya is a fourth-year Durham Public Schools (DPS) teacher who has always had a love for music. She graduated from North Carolina Centeal University with a degree in child development and a second degree in elementary education. Although she did not major in music, she includes music within her teaching. Her music interest developed from her grandmother who was always singing and practicing on the piano for choir rehearsal. This led to her being apart of music programs throughout school and even playing the violin. As an adult, she continues to sing with choirs. ChaKerya first came to Kidznotes in the summer of 2012 as an intern through a program called Student U. When hearing that the program was still running, she was very excited and wanted to be apart of the community that made her feel welcomed. Her passion for education, student well-being, and music drives her to continue to advocate for art education and how it is beneficial to students.