Imagine a whirlwind of tempo and dynamics, an author, a national music clinician, and one of the country's most respected elementary-school music teachers. That's Dr. Artie Almeida.

If you visit Bear Lake Elementary School in Altamonte Springs, you'll quickly learn that the doctor—the school's resident maestro—is in. And this is her stage.

Almeida, who has a doctorate in education and was named Seminole County Teacher of the Year in 1999, has been capturing the imagination of young students in Orange and Seminole County schools for three decades. "I realized there could be artistry at this level," she says. "I wanted to change children's lives through music."

Almeida's army of grade-school musicians has performed for and wowed audiences across Central Florida for years. Using a blend of live percussion and taped musical backgrounds, Almeida guides 3rd-, 4th- and 5th- graders through a variety of songs performed on plastic flute-like instruments called recorders. The results are amazing.

"It's hard to put into words," says Christine Peacock, Bear Lake's assistant principal. "You don't realize you're watching children with just a few years of experience." Peacock says Almeida's mastery brings the children to a level of excellence that befies their age. "If they were behind a screen," says Peacock, "you wouldn't know you were listening to ten- and eleven-year-olds."

Bear Lake's crown jewel never expected to be teaching children. In fact, Almeida admits she was actually training to be a band director in college. But fate would change that forever. The aspiring band director worked Saturdays at UCF teaching the Children's Music Workshop. "I fell in love with the joy that this age student brings to the music experience," she says. Her connection with children has inspired her to develop elementary-music teaching resources. Almeida has published 21 books. Her latest, Mallet Madness, on teaching the use of mallet instruments and drums, was released a few weeks ago.

Almeida says she is an ideas person. "I have to keep notepaper and pen in every room in the house because I'm constantly thinking of new things I want to design for the classroom."

It must be in the genes. Or at least all in the family. Her father, Bill Grace, patented one of the first push-button telephones for Motorola's Chicago office. And her husband, John, is the trumpet professor at UCF, performs in the Disney Christmas show every year, and is "one of the finest performers in the state," she says.

Clearly, Artie Almeida's passion is music. In addition to teaching and writing, she travels the country teaching elementary-school music teachers strategies for creating in their classrooms the musical bond she learned to develop with her own students and fellow teachers.

It's good to know that Seminole County Schools' maestro is right here . . . and that the next generation of schoolchildren will benefit from her insights, expertise, and love of music. S

Mike Holfeld is a reporter for WKMG Local 6 News, and a regular contributor to Seminole magazine.