Collegiate Summit


First of all, I would just like to say thank you to our state NAfME Collegiate officers who put the Summit together. It could not have been a success without them. As college students seeking to become future music educators, opportunities like the Collegiate Summit do not come often enough. The Summit was a great experience that held many attributes towards growth and learning. The University of Montevallo was our gracious host for the Summit. The members of their collegiate chapter were very kind and welcoming to the other collegiate chapters in attendance. It was personally a great liberty to be able to converse and connect with future music educators from across the state. There were members from the University of Alabama and the University of North Alabama there as well.


Upon arrival at the university, we had some time to talk and get to know some of the other state members. Our state officers kicked off the summit with introductions and a few opening remarks, followed by activities and exercises that would further our knowledge as music educators. The first activity of the summit was a demonstration on elementary school music teaching done by Dr. Becky Halliday. Seeing through eyes of a


by Russell Kershaw and Austin White


examples where this technique was most needed; for those that attended, I am pretty sure we never want to be stuck on a subway with hundreds of people. I spoke with Ethan Lolley, the Alabama state collegiate president of NAfME, who was one of the volunteers during the presentation. He said that when Mrs. Hudson worked with him on some of the usefulness that Alexander technique had to offer. It completely changed his thinking about his posture along with the way he sits and stands. Though we were only were able to scratch the surface, it was a very deep and insightful procedure nonetheless.


Concluding the evening, the last event of the summit was a panel discussion with active music educators. While there, those interested in choral music education had their own panel. I personally sat in on the discussion with the instrumental music educators. The general topic was, “things they don’t teach you in college.” There were conversations ranging from dealing with social media to disobedient students, to dealing with parents. The variation of thought and ideas that were given was perhaps the most informative, giving us the outlook of three different directors with years of experience ranging from 1 to nearly 20 plus. Many of the collegiate members in attendance were also able to ask questions that were pertinent to college students seeking a career in music education. I am sure that we could have spent many hours with these knowledgeable music educators.


second grader, she taught us as if we were her students, but she also explained some of the pedagogical reasoning behind her approach. It was an eye opening experience for many people into the world of elementary music teaching, which not many are exposed to. During her presentation, we enjoyed a unique hands- on activity that included playing on Orff instruments, drums, and other percussion instruments. I know that Dr. Halliday enjoyed teaching us as much as we enjoyed learning under her thoughtful and easy to grasp techniques.


After the elementary music education portion, we had the privilege of learning about the prestigious Alexander Technique from Mrs. Barbara Hudson. The Alexander technique encompasses some very basic concepts that when employed correctly can strongly help many people. I say many people because it is not something geared specifically to musicians. We took some time learning about the way our muscles work as well as the release of tension in those muscles. She also gave us


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Afterwards, many people took the opportunity to network with each other as well as the members of the panels, giving all of us time to interact with the demonstrators and teachers on a more personal level. Ultimately, the summit was a great learning experience that we could not have gotten anywhere else. It gave all of us a chance to grow in understanding and at the same time, give us a desire to learn more as current student leaders and future music educators. The summit was a prime example that we can one day not only gain experience but also give experience to our future students.


Russell Kershaw and Austin White are AMEA Collegiate members from the UNA Chapter.


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