Photo by Erica Techo.
Even though Shari Dorsett plans to leave Mountain Brook Elementary at the end of the year, her influence will remain through some of the Orff instruments in her classroom.
On a scale of one to five, Mountain Brook Elementary School music specialist Shari Dorsett gave MBE a “5++” during her exit interview.
“She [MBE Principal Ashley McCombs] started laughing,” Dorsett said. “She said, ‘I’ve never heard anybody do that.’”
That love of MBE, as well as 28 years of fond memories, are what makes the decision to leave so hard, Dorsett said.
“It’s just a community that really values education and music education,” Dorsett said. “They’re just a great support system. I’ve been very, very blessed.”
Dorsett has taught music for about 30 years, with three years of experience before she came to MBE. Before that, she attended Samford University and the University of Montevallo, receiving her B.S. in elementary education. Music education was something Dorsett knew she wanted to do for a long time.
“I wanted to bring music to life for other people because it had done so many things for me personally,” she said. “I think music is such a universal language, and it’s one students can foster and grow in as individuals.”
Music classes and productions are an opportunity for students to be successful, even if they struggle in their academic classes, Dorsett said. They also help students gain confidence, which is one of Dorsett’s favorite parts of the job.
“My favorite parts of being at Mountain Brook Elementary are, of course, seeing the children come to life on stage through the productions, seeing students gain confidence — whether it’s confidence playing an instrument, confidence singing or through being a part in a play on stage,” Dorsett said. “That’s my favorite part, the children.”
After the 2016-2017 school year comes to a close, Dorsett will face a decision on her next step. Disney has offered her a position working in youth programming, and a few opportunities have come up closer to home.
“I’m still deciding, but for right now, I’m presently taking a youth program position with Disney,” Dorsett said. “Since then, some opportunities have come about here, and I’m just kind of playing around with the idea of staying in Mountain Brook, being retired and having fun … or going on to Disney and being in charge of their youth programs.”
Dorsett previously worked on a Disney cruise, where she performed as Elsa from “Frozen” and worked with children while their parents took part in another class or left the ship at a destination.
“God just blessed me and allowed me to do something to share a passion I had and actually get to do something fun,” Dorsett said. “It was a wonderful experience, and [when they offered me the position], I thought, ‘Why not?’”
Even after Dorsett leaves MBE, her influence on the school will remain. During her time as a teacher, she received a master’s degree in music education, with a specialization in Orff Schulwerk and brought that method of music education to MBE.
“I wanted it to be a strong Orff musical program, where students would learn to play metallophones and glockenspiels and xylophones,” Dorsett said of the school’s music program. “Because they didn’t have those things when I came here.”
She also worked on the schools’ many productions, including its annual “A Salute to Veterans” production, which Dorsett said is one of her favorite productions.
“The productions have been very exciting, and it’s a lot of camaraderie, of parents helping, children helping, other people helping, so I loved all of that — the excitement that builds, of a community coming together,” she said.
Since receiving an offer from Disney, Dorsett also has been approached about possibly opening her own music program in Mountain Brook. The decision is a difficult one, Dorsett said, but either way she’ll end up with a good community.
“This whole community is a magical place, just like Disney,” she said. “So it’s hard — this is home for me — so it’s hard to make a choice.”
