Teri Burdette, music teacher at Lucy Barnsley Elementary School in Rockville, brings the joy of music to students who are traditionally deprived of it. Through her work with hearing-impaired students, Ms. Burdette learned sign language, which led to the formation of the "Fabulous Flying Fingers," a performance group comprised of fifth-graders including hearing, hard-of-hearing and deaf students. Combining sign language and song, the group has performed for two U.S. presidents and won a national award. She has developed a video training series for teachers who are integrating signing with music education and has written two sign language books for music teachers. Through her collaborative efforts with major music publishers, Ms. Burdette continues to be instrumental in narrowing the gap between hearing and hearing-impaired music students.
1966 Ohio State University, B.A.
