Dr. Kim Eyre, past-president/Treasurer

Dr. Kim Eyre is a mostly retired music educator approaching her 4th decade in the profession. She has taught music in elementary schools in London, ON, the Schulich School of Education, Nipissing University and the Faculty of Education, Western University. She is the coordinator of the Kodály Certification Program at the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Western University. Her degrees include Doctor of Philosophy (University of Toronto), Diploma (Zoltán Kodály Pedagogical Institute of Music, Kecskémet, Hungary), Master of Music (Holy Names University, Oakland, California), Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Music (University of Western Ontario). Kim is currently the Past President of the Kodály Society of Canada and the current President of the Kodály Society of Ontario. She has presented at local, provincial national and international music conferences and has instructed at summer courses at Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Alberta. Kim’s primary research interests include identity formation and reformation of pre-service and in-service elementary specialist and generalist music teacher and a reimagining of Kodály music education in Canada. She continues to be a passionate advocate of music education.

Kim is currently the Past President of the Kodály Society of Canada and the Kodály Society of Ontario. She is now the treasurer on the KSO

LESLIE KENT, Director

Leslie is so pleased to join the board of KSO. Leslie is a choral conductor and early-child music educator in Hamilton, Ontario. She has been on the artistic staff with the Hamilton Children's Choir since 2001, and has also been active in her homeschool community, offering choral and private voice instruction since 2008.  After earning her master's degree in Music Education from Western University in 2020, Leslie entered the classroom for the first time, and enjoys the challenge of the grades 3-8 children at Oak Hill Academy in Ancaster. Leslie completed her Kodaly levels in 2022 and looks forward to facilitating Kodaly experiences for her fellow music educators.

Gena Norbury, president

Hailing from Newfoundland, Gena is an Education Champion award winner from the Peel District School Board where she taught K-8 music for 32 years. Gena received her formal training at Memorial University in Newfoundland graduating with a B. Mus. and B. Mus. Ed.  She also holds an Associate Degree from the Trinity College, London in piano performance. For a decade, Gena volunteered on the Ontario Music Educators' Association board and served as President from 2014-2016. At the same time, she spent six years as the membership coordinator on the Canadian Music Educators’ Association board and is President of the Kodály Society of Ontario. She has recently obtained her Kodály certification from the British Kodály Academy and NYCOS. Gena is the proud recipient of the Hazel McCallion Volunteer of the Year Award for her work with Con Brio Singers, a nationally recognized youth choir she founded with her husband, Kevin, while living in Mississauga. Now retired, Gena devotes her time to the community of Port Rowan as a volunteer at Long Point Bird Observatory, librarian for Birds Canada, teaching piano, voice, and theory to a diverse range of students, and conducting the choir at Trinity Anglican, Simcoe as well as Norfolk County’s, Spiritoso Singers.

Lesley Pontarini, newsletter coordinator

Lesley Pontarini is a music specialist and teaches K-8 music in the Peel District School Board. She also has a private music studio where she teaches RCM piano and theory. She has served on the Kodály Society of Ontario's Board of Directors since 2019 and is the Secretary of the Ontario Music Educators' Association's Board of Directors. In 2021, she co-chaired the OMEA conference, Con Fuoco, in Niagara Falls with fellow board member, Gena. As a lifelong learner, Lesley recently started guitar and drum lessons. Outside of music education and advocacy, she is an avid vegetarian cook, enjoys reading and sharing her love of music with her daughter. 

Chantel Vallier, secretary

Chantel Vallier received her Bachelor's and Master of Music Education from Western University. She completed all three of her Kodály levels at Western University. Presently, Chantel works for Thames Valley District School Board as a teacher-librarian and teaches grade 4-8 music at a school in London. This includes teaching vocal music, ukulele, recorder and band. Chantel’s current interests include social-emotional learning in the music classroom, the application of Kodály in instrumental teaching, and supporting students' voices and learning through literature.

Laurel Forshaw, Director

Laurel Forshaw (PhD) is a choral conductor, music educator, and researcher. Her research in decolonization and Indigenization seeks to draw attention to the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous participation in higher music education within Canada and to encourage and engage in meaningful decolonization and Indigenization within music education and higher music education. Laurel holds a Master of Arts in Music Education (Choral Conducting) and Kodály and Orff-Schulwerk certification from the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota, and serves on faculty for the Kodály certification program at Western University and as treasurer for the Kodály Society of Canada. Laurel has served as a course instructor at the University of Toronto (elementary music education) and Lakehead University (conducting) and has recently returned to teaching at Lakehead University. An active choral conductor, Laurel was most recently conductor of the Strata Vocal Ensemble in Hamilton, ON, and before that, she was Artistic Director of the Dulcisono Women’s Choir, and founder and Artistic Director of the Rafiki Youth Choir, both in Thunder Bay, ON.