Building Community Through Song – Anna Robinson, Lee Elementary

Meet Anna Robinson

Anna Robinson, a music teacher at Lee Elementary School, has spent 25 years using music to build community, celebrate culture, and create lasting connections with students.

She has worked at many schools, including Waldo, Parrish, Washington, Englewood, Highland, Grant, and now Lee Elementary.

Since 2011, Anna has focused on teaching elementary school music. At Lee, she gets to teach every student in the school—and she loves it.

Learning music from other cultures helps students understand each other and build community.
Anna Robinson, Music Teacher at Lee Elementary

Anna includes songs in many languages in her classes. She believes this helps students learn about different cultures. She often starts with a language none of the students speak. That way, everyone is learning something new together. Then, she adds songs from cultures that her students come from.

"Building community in my choirs has always been important to me" Anna says. "It’s really special to work with every student."

One of Anna's favorite traditions is the Winter Sing-A-Long at Lee. Every December, all the students gather for this fun assembly. The younger students sing songs that are just right for their age, and the older students get to try more challenging songs.

A highlight of Anna's was when her fifth graders sang “I Have a Little Dreidel,” a song they learned back in kindergarten during distant learning in 2020.

“Their faces light up with happy memories,” she says. “It’s so fun to see them feel nostalgic at just 10 years old!”

Anna makes a big impact through her teaching. The heart of her work is helping her students feel included and connected through music, and that helps students grow in understanding and friendship. We are lucky to have her at Lee Elementary!

Read More of Our Stories