Announcing the Winner of the 2024 Avivo Prize, JoAnn Cain

JoAnn Cain has begun her third year of teaching K-5 music at Harford Day School in Bel Air, MD. Previously she served for 14 years as a music educator in the Baltimore County Public Schools as well as several independent and private schools. She has also taught for after-school music programs such as The Childrens’ Chorus of Maryland and The Peabody Childrens’ Chorus.

JoAnn earned her Kodaly Certification at George Mason University and then subsequently earned a Master’s in Music Education with Kodaly Emphasis from Capital University in 2016.

As a teacher, JoAnn is passionate about “helping students express their personal creativity and culture through the vehicle of music.” She goes on to say, “As I’ve grown as a teacher, I realize that no one particular modality is more valuable than another, and I try to offer opportunities for each student to learn music in the ways that bring them joy.” For some students this is incorporating movement into the lesson; for others it is including improvisation and composition; for still others it involves more time playing instruments. JoAnn writes, “All my students want to express and share their unique talents, interests, and identities. My job is to discover how I can facilitate and bring out those qualities for students musically.”

It is just this sensitivity, flexibility, and creativity that inspired the Avivo Teaching Artists to award JoAnn this year’s Avivo Prize! JoAnn plans to use the prize money for travel, professional development, and to fund musical opportunities for students without the financial means to pursue music education outside of school.

 

The world of music education has many luminaries, but few shine as brightly as Pamela Layman Quist. Her influence can be traced back to her days as an undergraduate student under the guidance of the visionary Grace Newsom Cushman. As a Peabody Institute faculty member, Mrs. Cushman founded the Junior Conservatory Camp, which taught the language of music through improvisation and composition. Grace saw the potential in two of her students, Pamela Layman Quist and David Hogan. She invited them to join the faculty of the Junior Conservatory Camp and expressed her faith to her colleague Lynn Taylor Hebden that they should carry forward her pioneering work.

True to Mrs. Cushman's vision, after her passing in 1972, a new era began. Pam, along with David Hogan (Hoagie) and Lynn Hebden (Mrs. H.), birthed The Walden School to perpetuate the spirit and teachings of the Junior Conservatory Camp. With its foundation rooted in the Cushman Musicianship Course, Walden School became a sanctuary for budding musicians. Through her 40 year tenure, Walden thrived, becoming internationally recognized as a training ground for holistic musicians capable of effecting positive change in the world around them.

As the sole living founder of Walden, Pamela Quist continues to carry forward the legacy of Grace Cushman through the work of Avivo, a consortium of Teaching Artists, dedicated to preserving and advancing Grace Cushman's foundational concepts of integrated creative learning. The Avivo team, several of whom were a part of the founding generation of The Walden School, share a commitment to inspire learners to embrace music as a living language and nurture their authentic creative voices.

As we reflect on the life of Pam, it becomes unmistakably clear: she is more than an educator; she is a prolific and inspirational mentor. Through her unwavering commitment, she has nurtured countless young artists, empowering them to create and express themselves with authenticity. Her story is a powerful model of dedication to and passion for transformative education.

Today we celebrate a woman, who stepped into leadership at the age of 23, and has continued to give the world an immeasurable gift of musical enlightenment. Here's to Pamela Layman Quist, the heartbeat of a musical legacy that will undoubtedly inspire many more generations to come.