Kortney Temple Returns as Violin Instructor at SFLS
Sioux Falls Lutheran School is pleased to welcome Ms. Kortney Temple back to the SFLS family! Upon returning to Sioux Falls earlier this year, she is teaching K-3 violin groups, preschool music, middle school percussion ensemble, and assisting Mrs. Biteler in teaching middle school orchestra. She’s also teaching string lessons and the occasional small group lesson or orchestra sectional.
Ms. Temple grew up on a dairy farm in Nisland, South Dakota. She was homeschooled through high school and started her college career studying music at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD. After two years, she transferred to the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2016 with a degree in K-12 Music Education.
Check out the Q&A below to learn more about Ms. Temple’s passion for music education and responsibilities at SFLS.
What inspired you to become a music educator?
Music has always been a part of my life; I took music lessons starting at a young age, and I had really amazing and patient teachers. I was not always the best or most well behaved student, but I really enjoyed making music. All of my siblings (I’m the middle of 7) played violin and piano, along with various other instruments, so there was a lot of music in my home. I didn’t always appreciate it at the time, but I love making music with my family. In high school I started teaching violin to a few students at my church, and I immediately fell in love with teaching and sharing music.
What is your favorite part of the job?
Oh, my favorite part of the job is finding new and fun ways for students to learn! I’m super excited to teach music and build a classroom where I can connect with students each week. Usually I get to have a fun song or game to really engage students and help them remember the lesson.
What excites you about rejoining the SFLS community?
Amazing colleagues! Our music department rocks, and I’m so excited that I get to work with Mrs. Biteler to teach strings and orchestra again.
Favorite Bible verse:
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:26
About Sioux Falls Lutheran School
At Sioux Falls Lutheran School, our mission is to develop capable, Christian servant-leaders in a complex world who are World Ready and Faith Secure. We are passionate about giving our students the tools they need to be successful academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. We strive to accomplish this goal by maintaining high academic standards, employing excellent teachers, and upholding a Christian worldview drawn from Scripture. Ultimately, we are committed to partnering with parents and the church to raise lifelong learners who use their gifts and the fruits of the Spirit, in faith, to touch a troubled world with God’s grace.