After attending college at Concordia in Moorhead and the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Denese graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree with honors and began teaching in Grand Forks. She eventually returned to her home district of Fargo Public Schools, and for the past 33 years she has touched the lives of thousands of young people while teaching general music and orchestra for 5th through 9th grade students. When Denese returned to Fargo to teach, she had the unique opportunity to become a colleague with Emily Burggraff and Carol Nelson, who had been her mentors By C arolyn Lillehaugen in earlier years. Burggraff, Photography by Jill Ockhardt Denese’s first strings teacher, w w w.ockhardtphoto.com describes Denese as “A very hard worker who is always generous with her time and talent. Her tireless work as an advocate has Music Education has permeated every made a significant impact on the opportunities for part of Denese Odegaard’s life. As the youngest students both in Fargo and across the nation.”
Advocate for the Arts of Bertel and Dorene Nelson’s five children, Denese was naturally introduced to music in their north Fargo home where she enjoyed taking piano lessons from her mother and making music with her siblings. Through the years, Denese also joined the school orchestra and choir where her skills continued to flourish. These early experiences set the foundation for a lifetime dedicated to sharing music with others.
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In 2009 Denese switched gears a bit, accepting a leadership role in the Fargo School district as the Performing Arts Curriculum Specialist. In this new role she spends a great deal of her time advocating for and organizing music and drama education throughout the district as well as mentoring new teachers and helping them celebrate what is going well and identify areas for
continued growth. Throughout her career, Denese immersed herself in studying the process of effective teaching. Not only did she look to music education specifically, but she consistently sought to learn about the best practices in all areas of education. Whether it was “action research” where she tried and analyzed the effect of new strategies in her own classroom or taking courses on the Six Traits of Writing, Teaching with Technology, Strategies of Assessment, or Mentorship Training, Odegaard was passionate about learning and integrating effective techniques into her classrooms. As a natural outgrowth of her learning, Denese then sought to share what she had learned with others. She has written or co-authored several professional publications for music teachers and given numerous workshops throughout the nation. This quest for continued learning naturally led to involvement with professional music education organizations and again, positions of leadership. She has been active with the FM Area Youth Symphony Board, the American String Teachers Association, and the National Association for Music Education. As a testimony to her leadership, Denese was recently elected to serve as the President for the National Association for Music Education. Kathlyn Scott, retired secondary curriculum coordinator for West Fargo Public Schools, explains, “Denese has long been dedicated to defining and shaping the future of