Essay 7

To begin any process I must first know why it is I want to do whatever it maybe. When I

wanted to be a music educator I was confused to why I had such a sudden change of heart from

wanting to be an optometrist to studying music and hopefully being able to teach it one day. My

experience changed when I came to college because my eyes were opened up to the true effect

that music has on the individual which is stated in my philosophy of music education. I began to

see that music is more than just something to do but it is something to be engulfed in all the time.

The music of different cultures has impacted me greatly. Before I got to K-State I got a

phone call from the Percussion Professor who asked me if I wanted to go to Cuba and study

Latin Jazz with world class musicians. I couldn’t go, but I was invited to join the ensemble a

few month later. As I began studying the music of Cuba and Puerto Rico I began to see a

common theme through the beginnings of all music, the community. It baffles me that Western

Art Music has created ensembles that have no community impact at all. The only goal is to

advance academia teach people who will carry on in their same footsteps. Every time I play

music, my goal is to entertain an audience so they can forget about what is going on in their lives

and be engulfed in the music I am playing.

In my classroom students will be pushed to do the same thing, developing skills in how to

express themselves so they can take an audience to a different world for a short period of time.

Students will do this by performing in the community as much as they can forming small

chamber ensembles, jazz grouptets, barbershop quartets, or show choirs to share music with the

community. Through this process they will learn what it takes to be a professional in the field of

music as well as use the creations involving music.

 In my career at K-State I have been changed a musician being taught how to use simple

tools on computers and tablets to make my classroom more creative, developing skills to balance

a budget, and honing my skills in leadership to direct a music program that can have an impact

on the community based through performance.