Boothbay Region Elementary School teacher Genie O’Connell’s passion for music began as a little girl playing a mini-piano just like “Peanuts” character Schroeder played. O’Connell was born and raised in Boothbay Harbor. She came from a musical family. She remembers her grandmother being a “great singer and whistler.” Her parents also sang and played instruments. But a piano wasn’t one of the instruments in her childhood home, until she struck a deal, at age 5, with mom and dad.

“They told me if I could a play a tune on my Schroeder piano then we could get a real one. It had all white keys and I painted on some black ones. And eventually, I could play something simple like ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,’” she said.

Her passion for music eventually led her to become  a teacher. O’Connell began teaching at BRES in 1986. She teaches the six musical behaviors to her grades 4-8 classes and three different levels of chorus (fourth, fifth and sixth, and seventh and eighth grades). She is also responsible for the annual Grandparents Day chorus. On the Friday preceding Memorial Day weekend, O’Connell prepares  the elementary school concert. And each December, O’Connell is busying preparing grades 4-8 students for a holiday concert. This year’s concert is at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13 at Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church.

As a longtime educator, O’Connell described teaching as being  special when she experiences a magical moment with a student. In her three decade-plus BRES career, those magic moments include when a student is learning vocals or when a younger one begins playing a recorder.

“It happens different times for different kids. Just seeing the joy on their faces when they place their voice, match their pitch, or the first time they play ‘Hot Crossed Buns,’ and it sounds like, ‘Hot Crossed Buns,’” she said.

But there was a time O’Connell considered a different career. As a high school student, she considered studying the Classical Greek era. O’Connell changed her mind after hearing some beautiful music in Brunswick. ”I stood outside the Bowdoin chapel and listened, and wondered, if I really wanted to give it up. And finally I decided to  go into music.”

She began studying at Westminster Choir College in New Jersey. In 1976, she moved to Ireland after marrying international banker John O’Connell. She continued her education at the National University of Ireland at Cork.

Her first teaching job came during an interesting time. She taught high school-level music at the American Community School Knightbridge, a London boarding school. The Shah of Iran fled the Persian country due to the Iranian Revolution. Several of his supporters also left the country. Some settled in London, and their children attended the ACS.

Eventually, the O’Connells moved to the U.S. and returned to her hometown. “John was looking to change careers and we thought it would be a good time to move,” she said. When the O’Connells returned to Boothbay Harbor., she updated her American college credits so she could teach music.

O’Connell began teaching at Woolwich Central School. She later directed the Morse High School choral program, before returning to teach on the Boothbay peninsula. She taught at Southport Central School before accepting a job in Boothbay Harbor.

For the past four weeks, O’Connell has been preparing her students for this week’s holiday concert. “What a fantastic gift time is,’ she said. “We’ve been spending four days a week rehearsing with the band, and the chorus has tackled some really challenging music.”

But this teacher is also a student. She is currently learning the violin in hopes of playing some Celtic fiddle tunes.