MFM Volunteer Spotlight

Marilyn Entin

For the past 10 years, Marilyn Entin has been sharing the gift of music with all of the first graders at Guadalupe School in San Jose.   "In 2001, when I retired from 33 years of teaching elementary school,” Marilyn said, "I decided to totally immerse myself in music.”  Becoming an MFM docent was a natural next step, bringing together these two important threads of her life.  A singer since the age of two, Marilyn has continued to enjoy organized singing, and performs with both the Bay Area Showcase and Mission Valley Choruses.  Three years ago she even began a 3rd to 5th grade chorus at Guadalupe.  It has grown from a group of 35 to 70 in this short time, testament to Marilyn’s ability to inspire and engage her students.  For Marilyn, singing is an expression of joy, and she expects the children to bring enthusiasm to the music.  When it is time for a concert, she infuses them with a special spirit of performance.  "Be a part of it!” she encourages. 

Marilyn has been touched over the years by the individual letters she has received from her students.  When they tell her they love music and want her to be their music teacher forever, she knows she has made a connection.  Connections to what the kids are learning are also meaningful to Marilyn.  One day a teacher mentioned that the students would be covering a unit on fire safety the following week, so Marilyn returned for her next music lesson and taught a rap on fire safety.  "Flexibility is the name of the game, " Marilyn says of her approach, and she has always worked to keep her classes lively.  This is also the key to her class management style.  Changing up the activities from active to quiet to active again, and flowing at a good pace have been at the heart of her teaching.

Her advice to new docents includes keeping things simple.  Have plenty of movement activities in your back pocket, and be ready to ramp it up on rainy days.  "And don’t take yourself too seriously,” she adds with a smile.  Although Marilyn will be moving on from docenting,, we will invite her back to help with mentoring from time to time.   Words cannot adequately express our gratitude for the decade Marilyn has dedicated to bringing music to the children of Guadalupe.  Happily, the kids themselves have been letting Marilyn know—in their own words—how deeply she has touched their lives.  Thank you for the music!