Kristin M. Pugliese is passionate about how knowledge is acquired and believes it impacts children’s attitude toward learning for life. She is dedicated to creating a world where everyone is musically literate.

She has been an educator for more than 15 years, first in early childhood education and then in the music classroom. She has worked almost exclusively in Title 1 Schools in Rhode Island, Georgia and Massachusetts, and helped create music standards for Cambridge Public Schools.

As a music teacher, Kristin saw how manipulatives, which are so commonly used in math, could benefit her students. To answer that need, she adapted the concepts of manipulatives to create Note Knacks. The Note Knacks method teaches music composition to children as young as three using color, touch and pattern in a straightforward, three-phase process. Children learn to listen to, appreciate, create and perform music through hands-on practice – true music literacy.

Kristin is deeply involved in bringing the Note Knacks method and tools to the classroom. She provides support for educators through lesson plans, an active blog, workshops and as a national clinician. She has presented in-service sessions at the Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Florida music educators conferences. She also regularly consults with school systems to help them apply the principles of Note Knacks in their music curriculum.

Sample Lesson Plans