University of New Hampshire. Photo: AcrossTheAtlantic, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thompson_Hall,_UNH_Sunset.jpg)
University of New Hampshire. Photo: AcrossTheAtlantic, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thompson_Hall,_UNH_Sunset.jpg)
Rebecca Hanaburgh is an American music educator whose career has centered on elementary music instruction, choral work, and church music in Maine. She has taught in the South Portland, Westbrook, and Falmouth school systems and became a National Board Certified Teacher in 2018.
Background
Rebecca Hanaburgh was born on August 13, 1968, in Portland, Maine, to George Lawrence Humphrey and Barbara Nichols Humphrey. She was raised in Maine and has maintained professional and community connections there throughout her career.
Her family background included a strong connection to music. Her mother, Barbara, developed a lifelong appreciation for music and later described Rebecca as one of her daughters. Hanaburgh's later work as a school music teacher, singer, choir director, and church musician continued this musical tradition in educational and religious settings.
Education
Hanaburgh received a Bachelor of Science degree in Bible Music from Philadelphia College of Bible in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, in 1991. At the time, Philadelphia College of Bible was a Christian institution whose programs combined biblical studies with professional fields, including music and education; it later became Philadelphia Biblical University and is now Cairn University.
She earned a Master of Education degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2000. Lesley had developed from a teacher-training school founded in 1909 and was known for its longstanding emphasis on education; the institution became Lesley University in 2001. Hanaburgh also completed Orff Schulwerk certification at the University of New Hampshire in 2003, adding specialized preparation in a music-education approach associated with active music making, movement, and elementary instruction.
Hanaburgh began her public-school teaching career as a K–8 music teacher with the South Portland School Department from 1993 to 1998. South Portland's public schools serve a coastal Maine community and include music among the district's arts and educational programs.
In 1998, she became a K–2 music teacher with the Westbrook School Department. Westbrook's schools describe music and the performing arts as part of a broader curriculum intended to support foundational learning and the development of the whole student.
By 2017, Hanaburgh was teaching in the Falmouth School Department, where she has worked with elementary and middle-school students as a music teacher and band teacher. Her documented activities have included directing student singing and participating in school music programs. In 2019, the Maine Department of Education identified her as a National Board Certified Teacher at Falmouth Elementary School.
Alongside school teaching, Hanaburgh has worked as a church musician, singer, and choir director at churches in Maine. She has also served as an interim organist and pianist and has participated in music programs for children and families. Her work combines classroom instruction, ensemble leadership, performance, and service through local institutions.
Achievements
Hanaburgh achieved National Board Certification as a teacher in 2018, a rigorous peer-reviewed credential recognizing accomplished teaching practice and evidence of advancing student learning.
Connections
Hanaburgh married Michael David Hanaburgh on August 2, 1997. They have one child, Isabelle Shea Hanaburgh.
Her parents were George Lawrence Humphrey and Barbara Nichols Humphrey. Barbara was active in family and community life in Maine and was also known for her appreciation of music.
Father:
George Lawrence
Mother:
Barbara Nichols Humphrey
She was a Maine resident who developed a lifelong appreciation for music and was the mother of Rebecca Hanaburgh.
Daughter:
Isabelle Shea Hanaburgh
Wife:
Michael David Hanaburgh
Hanaburgh married Michael David Hanaburgh on August 2, 1997.
Obituary for Barbara Elaine Humphrey
Documents Hanaburgh's relationship to her mother, Barbara Elaine Humphrey, and identifies her as a daughter in the Humphrey family.
New Every Morning
Provides historical context for Philadelphia College of Bible, the institution from which Hanaburgh received her undergraduate degree.
