Ann Duncan MacKay Eisen, 83, of Lake Charles passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Ann was born on February 27, 1941 in Glen Cove, New York. She grew up in Bethpage, NY and in 1963 graduated from the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ with a Bachelor’s degree in Music. In 1964 she married Edwin Otto Eisen of Newark, NJ and they spent their honeymoon moving to Beaumont, TX. Ann was an organist and choir director at several churches in Bethpage, Beaumont, and Houston as well as Lake Charles. In 1983 she graduated from McNeese State University with a Master’s degree in Music and also obtained her Louisiana teaching certificate. She taught music in several schools, including Nelson Elementary, where she received the Teacher of the Year award. She retired from Nelson in 2000, after 12 years of teaching there.
While teaching, Ann began studying with Hungarian and American Kodály masters to teach the Kodály music education philosophy to elementary music students. In 1988 she received her Kodály certification from the Kodály Musical Training Institute in West Hartford, Connecticut. In retirement she continued teaching the Kodály philosophy to music educators through numerous summer courses around the United States, including McNeese. In 1992, Ann collaborated with Lamar Robertson, creating and publishing their first Kodály music education book, An American Methodology, under their company name, Sneaky Snake Publications. They continued to produce additional materials for music educators.
In March of 2023, Ann received the OAKE (Organization of American Kodály Educators) Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of the great impact she had on elementary school music teaching in America. Ann’s Kodály students, who quickly became colleagues and friends, owe much of who they are today as teachers and music educators because of her.
Ann was a member of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, OAKE, IKS (International Kodály Society), LAKE (Louisiana Association of Kodály Educators), Sigma Alpha Iota (an International Music Fraternity), Alpha Delta Kappa (sorority for women educators), and Banners at McNeese.
Ann was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, William John MacKay and Margaret Duncan MacKay, and three sisters, Sheila MacKay, Eleanor Prillaman, and Isabel Perinka.
Ann is survived by her sons, Eric Eisen, Peter Eisen (Ashley), and Bruce Eisen (Kristie), her grandsons, Chris Eisen (Gracie), Brennan Eisen, Caden Eisen, Ethan Eisen, and Gavin Eisen, and her great grandsons, Ashby Eisen and Jackson Eisen. She is also survived by her sister, Margaret MacKay Belardo (Pre’), and her nieces and nephews, Barbara Prillaman (Franscisco), Brenda Prillaman, Rob Perinka (Lisa), Christy Belardo, and Sean Belardo.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, March 23 at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church. Visitation will begin at 9:00 AM in the church chapel.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Kodály Post Graduate Scholarship at the McNeese Foundation (mcneesefoundation.org).
