“I’m reminded how one great teacher, or one positive experience, can shape a person when he or she is in high school.”  
- Laurelyn Morrison

Titles: Teacher of Drama and Music; Director of Choral and Theatre Productions; Senior Class Advisor; Coach of Girls Volleyball; Co-moderator of The Performing Arts Boosters Club
Department: Performing Arts

Courses Taught:  
Men’s Glee & Women’s Glee
Troubadours
Music Theory
Drama Essentials

Academic Degrees: 
BA, MA, Virginia Tech

To contact:  lmorrison@middleburgacademy.org

A great performer is recognized for the energy and interpretation he or she brings to a role.  The same can be said about Laurelyn Morrison.  In her first year as Director of Choral and Theatre programs (2010-11), Mrs. Morrison brought new spark to the school’s music and drama offerings.  In the span of one short academic season, participation in Glee nearly tripled; “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” became a highlight of the region’s musical offerings; an outstanding student vocalist was selected to participate in elite choral ensembles at the state and national levels; and, to top it all off, there was an end of year concert involving guitarists, singers, drummers, and bassists in a giant, jammin’ review entitled “Rock through the Ages.”  Laurelyn Morrison is not afraid to use students’ own music culture as a bridge to learning more about music generally.  “We sing songs they’ve heard on the radio.  We play games they may have played before, but apply them to music.”  She acknowledges that music is taught differently than in the past.  “The music experience is much more cerebral and knowledge-based than what was once strictly aural in focus,” she explains.  “Students are expected to take much more responsibility for their musical ability instead of simply being played to and asked to repeat.” 

Anyone who has spent even a bit of time with Mrs. Morrison quickly learns that family is the most important thing to this Colorado native. They [meaning five sisters and “one awesome husband”], she says, “come first in my life.”  This explains Mrs. Morrison’s affinity for the close-knit community that defines Middleburg Academy.  “I love the way the students, the staff, and the families are all intertwined and invested in the success of the students and the school.”  When not singing herself (she is a member of The Middleburg Chamber Singers), Laurelyn Morrison enjoys running, playing tennis, and ice hockey, traveling, and “any eating challenge set before me.”

“Mrs. Morrison is very knowledgeable in her subject and always has a new interactive game to introduce to the class.  She did a great job with the theatre department in just one year!”  - Carleigh Smith, Class of 2011