Why I Want To Be A Music Educator by Patty Holley, FAME Scholarship Recipient
Editor’s Note: AMEA recently awarded the first FAME (Future Alabama Music Educator) Scholarship to Patty Holley, a 2014 graduate of Elmore County High School. Scholarship recipients must have attended the FAME program and plan to major in music education at an Alabama university.
Until eighth grade, school for me was a place to struggle through math problems, listen to lectures, and count down the minutes until lunch time. It was not until I agreed (although somewhat reluctantly) to join the middle school choir that I truly discovered what a difference the presence of music can make on education. This passion has flourished throughout my high school years and has influenced my decision to become a music educator, despite significant obstacles that come with diminishing arts programs.
Throughout middle school, I was always viewed as a "good student;" however, I was also unsure of myself and tended to be very submissive. However, at the urging of my director, I decided to audition for and eventually attend my first All-State Choral Festival, little knowing what an impact that it would ultimately have upon my life. For the next few days, I learned that music has the ability to communicate messages that reach the very depths of the human soul. I absolutely loved being part of a group that rehearsed to produce something so beautiful, glorifying God with our talents while telling a story to our listeners. At the end of the weekend, I came home transformed
into a girl with a passion for the arts, one who desired for her own voice to be heard.
As a freshman the next year, I was shocked to discover that there was no existing choir program at the high school. Determined to keep choral music as an option, I along with a friend convinced the principal to create a choral class that had previously not existed at the school for about eight years. The school band director also became our choir director, taking the necessary praxis and becoming certified with the
Alabama Vocal
Association. Although the class has never numbered over six students (in fact, I am the only one at present) I continuously find joy in the fact that even a few of us were able to have had music play a role in our high school careers. I and another friend have been blessed enough to return to All-State for multiple years.
Along with choir, I have also participated in musical theatre and have several close friends in marching band. Over the years, I have heard time and time again that for several students, these programs give them a place to belong, and for some, are the only bright aspects of coming to school. I began to realize more and more
how large of an influence that the arts, and specifically music, can make on an education. I have seen students who, while they might not excel in a traditional academic setting, flourish as soon as a piece of music is put in front of them. This is due to the overwhelming power of music to communicate messages that are unexplainable by theorems or algorithms. I found that music comes not as much from the brain as it does from the soul, and I began to long for all students to have the opportunity to be a part of music in this way. What better way to accomplish this, I thought, than to become a music educator myself?
Sometimes I find myself wishing that I could have been part of a large choir with ample funding, but then I realize that the determination of our small program truly demonstrates what a love for music is truly about. For this reason, I specifically hope to teach as a choir director at a school without a previously existing program.
I hope to obtain a bachelors and then a masters degree in music education before teaching choir in a high school setting. I wish to use my God-given gifts and talents to minister to students through choir music, and to advocate for music programs in every school. I long for the chance to further a student's ability to bloom musically in hopes that they will one day advocate for music education themselves. As a teacher I hope to reach beyond barriers created by low self- esteem and neglect in order to inspire a love for learning and overall self- confidence. I hope to leave a lasting impact on students' lives by ministering to them musically, and help others develop their own talents, despite all attempts to deprive our schools of music. If awarded the scholarship, fulfilling my dream of becoming a music educator would be brought even closer to becoming a reality.
32 August/September 2014
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