Sean Breen

Background

About Sean Breen

I teach music at a private k-8 boys'​ school in San Francisco, a position I have held since 1984. Prior to my current position, I taught high-school music in Ojai, California and Manhattan, as well as middle-school music in Louisa, Virginia. This year, in response to my school's changing needs, I accepted the position of 6th Grade Math teacher and advisor. For my undergraduate work I attended Montgomery College and Frostburg State University in Maryland where I earned a BA in music performance (piano). I received a Master's in Music Education (Emphasis in Kodály) from Holy Names University 2006. In 2011 I completed a Masters Degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the field of Mind, Brain, and Education. I was named the 2011 Chester Pierce Fellow as well as the Intellectual Contribution/Faculty Tribute Award winner. P I also have a long career as a musician, and more recently, a successful composer. Performances include an a cappella piece,"Take The Stage"​ for commencement at the Harvard Graduate School of Education,"There Was A Child"​ and "Ef I Had A Ribbon Bow"​ for the Holy Names University Kodály Summer Institute Choir, as well as "Pleading Savior"​ and "Ave Maris Stella"​ for the HNU Chamber Choir. Most recently, the Choir of St. Francis Episcopal Church in San Francisco premiered a newly commissioned piece,"You Are The One." There are also 25 original 8th grade musicals that have received enthusiastic reviews from performers and audiences alike. As a lecturer in educational neuroscience, I speak to school and university faculty groups about the promise and limitations of educational neuroscience. Recently, I received invitations to speak at regional, national, and international conferences including the 2015 International Kodály Society Symposium in Edinburgh, Scotland as well as the 2019 IKS Symposium in Kuching, Malaysia, as well as the 2020 National Conference of the Organization of American Kodály Educators. The success of these presentations has led to invitations to contribute to national and international music education journals.