Lindsey Stamper
Our social media theme for September, #InfoIsPower, amplifies community leaders who enable access to information and knowledge. This week, we are featuring Lindsey Stamper, an educator and musician driven to create a classroom environment that celebrates student diversity and comprehensive music-making.
Inspired by other caring and compassionate educators, Lindsey has wanted to pursue a teaching career since second grade. Originally from Muncie, Indiana, she graduated from Ball State University in 2018. Soon after, she moved across the country to California to combine her love of music and education to become a music teacher in the San Diego Unified School District. She currently teaches orchestra and general music to elementary school students.
Lindsey highlighted the importance of ensuring all students have access to arts education. She said that the arts are often what keep children interested and engaged in learning – it can be the reason they come to school every day. “The arts are inspiring and life-giving,” she shared. “I have taught in schools with very little access to arts education, and I could see how much the students yearned for the experience of creating, performing and responding to various forms of art. The arts are necessary for the good of humanity, and they keep us all connected as humans.”
Besides passionately sharing the arts with her students, Lindsey also utilizes different tactics to build learning environments that are safe, inspiring and inclusive for all. Her classes celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month and Pride Month, engaging with musicians, songs and cultural traditions from historically marginalized communities. Lindsey also promotes student success and inclusion through comprehensive group musical exercises that promote structure and self-awareness. “I aspire to build a routine in my classroom so that students of all abilities know what to expect in music class,” she said. “I set up an environment where only kind words are expected and everyone’s contributions are celebrated.”
No matter their musical ability coming into her class, Lindsey makes everyone feel welcome. “I assure all my students that they ARE musicians and that every musician starts as a beginner,” she shared. “I also emphasize that although many musical skills are challenging at first, with a growth mindset and practice, one can learn anything.”
Though her own transition from a student to a teacher was challenging, Lindsey has found joy and motivation in her students’ “lightbulb moments.” She noted that those continuous moments of discovery come from facing challenges, and it is gratifying to witness them as an educator. Another aspect of her career that keeps her going is knowing how much of an impact teachers can make on individual lives. “I still remember the way each teacher I have had has positively affected my outcomes and mental growth,” she reminisced. Lindsey sees her impact as an opportunity to encourage as well as teach. She said, “If there is one sentence I would tell to every person in the world, it is this: you are an artist meant to create.”
