Music was a prevalent thing in my family growing up, but it was only a hobby for the most part. My mother played clarinet in the community band, my older siblings played in the high school band, and in fifth grade I followed, singing in the choir and selecting the trombone to play. I was lucky to grow up in an area where the choir and band functioned together, allowing me to do both. I experienced a number of different choral and instrument ensemble instructors, but my first choir teacher was my strongest role model. He inspired me to choose a career path in music, and he gave me the necessary tools to move forward. Sadly, I moved after sophomore year, but I was able to apply some of the skills he showed me with the next choir teacher, who was rebuilding a program at my new school. After moving I had opportunities I didn’t have at my old school: I made all district and all Virginia choirs, helped teach a student how to read music, and led the class in some vocal exercises. I also took up personal vocal lessons with a private studio, and began to prepare for a college audition as well as prepare for the difficulty of music that would be to come.
After some consideration, I settled on pursuing music education. I joined many ensembles so I can observe different styles of teaching and learn from them, which is something I learned was important because of my highschool experience of many different ensemble instructors. I learned how to create a friendly environment from some, how to grow a program from others, how to present myself as a skilled performer without seeming arrogant or demeaning, and I learned how to care for all students. I think it’s just as important to prove I am a skilled performer myself before I can effectively teach others to do the same. I aspire to inspire as my instructors have and continue to do so for me, creating families from all walks of life that have one thing in common. I aspire to create a healthy learning environment for my future students and learn from them as much as they learn from me. And most importantly, I aspire to teach music and bring it to those who might not have been lucky enough to be surrounded by it as I have.
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