Monina Sen Cervone is the director and founder of Ruth Asawa School of the Arts’ World Music Curriculum, a unique, hands-on program that teaches movement and technique, choreography, dance theory, and history from a global perspective.
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We received many nominations praising Ms. Cervone’s work and devotion to her community. Parents described her as a passionate leader, who strives to find the perfect balance of being a friend and a teacher. All the nominations expressed awe at her work, whether she is hosting workshops at different schools or taking classes on trips to Cuba.
Most recently, Ms. Cervone has booked outside performance gigs for students, which is helping to raise money for the department and the school. It is clear to us that Ms. Cervone goes above and beyond to help her students and the World Music and Dance Department as a whole.
On top of being such a dedicated teacher, Ms. Cervone’s music knowledge is vast; after all, her journey with music did start at age four! Since then, she has studied music at SF State and in Japan, India, and Bali. One of her students described how, “Not only is she a teacher with a great personality, but she really knows what she teaches. She teaches us taiko, the music business, and also leads rehearsals, and there is never a question that she can’t answer.” Other students also commented on how Ms. Cervone is known to sit in other classes to learn new material alongside the students.
Ms. Cervone strives to help students reach their full potential through creativity. Her commitment to her school community has impressed us all. And one parent put it best when shared that, “She lives and breathes this program and helping her students become the best they can be as students, musicians, and people.”
Thank you, Ms. Cervone, for spearheading this important program and for being such a resource for students in your community. It is with much gusto that we award you our December Teacher of the Month Award. Congratulations!
Read more about our Teacher of the Month Program and how to nominate a special teacher in your life.