Carrie Elko joins moderator Dr. Rudy Marcozzi to discuss the cognitive, developmental, formational, and social benefits of choral and congregational singing in schools and parishes. Together with seminar participants they will explore the ways in which the skills used and developed through singing can transfer and enhance learning and development in all other dimensions of student learning and student life.

Presented by: Carrie Elko Carrie Elko teaches PK-8 music at St. Mary of the Woods School in Chiago and serves as an accompanist at St. Catherine Laboure in Glenview, IL. Carrie grew up on a commercial dairy goat farm in Pardeeville, WI, and attended Northwestern University, obtaining a degree in Music Education and Flute Performance. In 2021 she earned a Masters degree in Education with a focus on Trauma and Resilience in Education from Concordia University (Seward, NE). Carrie has been teaching since 2010 and has spent a majority of her time in Catholic schools and parishes. Recognizing that today’s students require new and different approaches and means of engagement, Carrie strives to use current best practices, cognitive science, and recent research to create a toolkit that enables her to engage and motivate all students.

Moderated by: Dr. Rudy Marcozzi An award-winning educator (Dean and Professor Emeritus at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts), Dr. Rudy Marcozzi is also an active professional church musician with extensive parish and university experience at local, regional, and diocesan levels. He is a member of The National Association of Pastoral Musicians, The Hymn Society of the United States and Canada, The North American Academy of Liturgy, and a board member of the American Federation of Pueri Cantores. He was a regular reviews contributor to Pastoral Music, and editor and contributing author for Preparing Your Catholic Wedding (Paulist Press). He currently serves as the Coordinator of Music Ministry at the Sheil Catholic Center at Northwestern University.