Clinician
Linda Voegler Granite
Linda Voegler Granite teaches band at Marshall Middle School, in the North Allegheny School District, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She believes that students can be lifelong learners, producing and consuming music for the rest of their lives. The foundation for this is formed by providing engaging learning activities, with frequent opportunities for creativity, student choice, and leadership.
Granite started playing clarinet as a child and soon began learning other woodwind instruments. Her love of studying additional band instruments continued throughout college, where she played trombone in the IUP Marching Band. As an adult, she continues to challenge herself by becoming a better musician, music arranger and improviser.
In 2016, she was awarded the Citation of Excellence for Teaching in District 1 by the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association. In 2018, she was a Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year Finalist. Granite regularly serves as a cooperating teacher, mentoring student teacher from local universities. Earlier in her career, she was a music teacher in the Port Allegany School District and later in the Butler Area School District. She has taught jazz, concert, and marching bands to students in grades four through 12, as well as beginning strings and junior high general music.
Granite holds a bachelor of science degree in music education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is working towards a master of music education degree at Duquesne University. She was inspired to teach and conduct young musicians by IUP professors John Kuehn and Jack Stamp. Private teachers have included clarinet and saxophone with Terry Steele (Slippery Rock University) and clarinet with Thomas Thompson (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra).