Students dance to the beat of their own drum thanks to our new music teacher, Megan Gallucci! Ms. Gallucci joined Heatly this past September and is certified to teach music to Heatly students in PreK-12. This is Ms. Gallucci’s first full-time teaching position since she graduated from the College of Saint Rose in December 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Music Education. Her past experience includes teaching music to preschoolers at the College of Saint Rose, as well as substitute teaching for Capital Region BOCES and WSWHE BOCES.
While Ms. Gallucci is just beginning her teaching career, she’s already enjoying every minute of it. “I love all of my coworkers and my students! I am so thankful for them and look forward to seeing them everyday,” she said gleefully.
Ms. Gallucci goes on to say that the best part about being a teacher is getting to combine two of her favorite things: music and kids. “Everyday I get the honor of teaching through singing, dance, play and movement. I get to bring positive energy to all of my students and not only teach them about music, but reinforce some of the great things they’re learning in their classes every single day,” said Ms Gallucci.
Starting a new job can be stressful, but Ms. Gallucci is lucky to have fellow Heatly staff members help guide the way. They have offered her support, as well as teaching advice. The one piece of advice that has stuck with Ms. Gallucci is to put relationships first. “The relationships I have with my students mean the most to me and I want to create a positive environment for all of us to learn in,” said Ms. Gallucci.
A fun fact about Ms. Gallucci is that she’s been a professional singer since she was 16 years old and has competed and won multiple competitions. She was named Young Performing Artist of the year in 2019 in New York State. Most recently, Ms. Gallucci sang in a benefit concert to raise money for the war in Ukraine at Troy Music Hall. She’s a big advocate for music education and was on the NYSSMA/NAFME State Board where she worked with the state on how to improve music education in schools and professional development for educators.