Kim Löwenborg-Coyne

Kim Löwenborg-Coyne was born and raised in Lynbrook, NY.  She earned a BA in Music Performance and a BA in Philosophy from Molloy College.  She completed an MA Program in Musicology at CW Post, Long Island University and earned her Ph.D. in Higher Level Music Education at New York University.

Kim started her teaching career in Rockville Centre Schools and became the Director of Art and Music Programs for North Babylon in 1996.  It has been her honor to perform as the accompanist for the NBHS Choir at New York’s Carnegie Hall.  Her fondest memory was performing in December, 2016 with the HS Choir at the White House with choir director Christina Bonati.  Thrilled with the opportunity, Kim worked tirelessly seeking donations to provide red dresses, tuxedos, transportation, meals and even a White House ornament for each child to always remember their accomplishment.  As a lifelong Jets fan, she was also delighted to step on the 50 yard line at MetLife Stadium with the NBHS Marching Band in 2018 for a pre-game marching band show.

In Spring 2008, Kim earned grant funds to bring Pierre Dulaine’s Ballroom Dance Program to Long Island, debuting the program in two elementary schools.  The debut was written up in the New York Times as “A Dance Curriculum that Offers Much More Than the FoxTrot”.  Kim consistently seeks to bring culturally diverse residency programs to North Babylon’s traditionally underserved students such as the African Dance residency with teachers from the Harlem School of the Arts, “Dance to Learn and Learn to Dance” with Ballet Long Island and a Steel Pan Orchestra Residency.

Dr. Löwenborg-Coyne served on the founding committee for LIAA’s Long Island Scholar Artist Awards from 2007-2017 and chairs the Eastern Suffolk BOCES Arts in Education Advisory Board. Kim was President of Suffolk NYSCAME in 2009-2010 and has hosted many NYSSMA Festivals and SCMEA events in her schools.

In her nominating essay, Deputy Superintendent of Schools Kim Skillen said “Dr. Kim never takes no for an answer when it comes to the children of North Babylon!”  Always believing that all kids deserve the finest quality of education available, Kim has successfully applied for grants to assure North Babylon’s students quality instruments, cutting edge technology, world music education (steel pans, djembe orchestra) and all that they need to succeed.

This conviction with which Kim moves was never more obvious than during the pandemic as North Babylon purchased supplies to provide home kits for students and hosted “drive by instrument distribution”. Rather than cancelling Concerts, Dr. Löwenborg-Coyne worked with sound and film engineers to film “Drive In Movies” with small, live performances as cars lined up for the show.   North Babylon has seen outdoor theatre, fresh air singalongs and plein air painting sessions, because in her mind, the (education) show MUST go on.

Kim is deeply honored to receive this award, earned by her mentors and even one of her teachers!  She is grateful to her husband of 23 years, Christopher, and their two beautiful children, Grace (20) and Jack (16) for their loving support and inspiration.