FAME
I have loved music for as long as I can remember. In fact, the first voice I heard after I was born wasn’t one of my parents’ or the doctor’s voices, it was the melodious sounds of Frank Sinatra’s voice and my dad playing along on his guitar. From the very beginning of my life, I was exposed to music. As a toddler, I attended Kindermusic which led to taking piano lessons in early elementary school. Later in my elementary school years, I was introduced to the recorder. I fell in love with the recorder and made the Recorder All- stars ensemble allowing me an opportunity to perform with a music group for the first time at the University of Alabama. In addition to that, my dad was always playing his guitar or the keyboard and singing around our house. When I was three, my dad bought me a guitar and encouraged me to play and sing with him. Later in life, he taught me that music could be an escape from frustrations and stress and he encouraged me to use the keyboard to vent my frustrations.
As a rising 6th grader heading to middle school, I was introduced to the band. I chose to play the clarinet and haven’t looked back. It was here that I became inspired to become a music educator specifically. The joy of teaching resonated within me from the very first rehearsal as I watched my own band directors at work and saw their passion and love for music. Even in middle school, I saw the fire my band director Mr. Peters had for his profession. I wanted to be that excited and passionate about something. I soon found that it was easy for me to feel this passion with music. My father was also a music major and although he doesn’t work in the field, his love
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Scholarship Essay by Christopher Shorter
for music is evident in everything he does. Twenty years after college, he’s still playing his saxophone whenever he can and singing all the time. He instilled a respect for all kinds of music in me when I was young and he and my mother have continually supported me as I have grown throughout my musical journey. In addition to that, my father also started my music theory lessons
when I was very young. Obviously most of it didn’t make any sense to me at that time. Just imagine him trying to explain to a five year old what specific type of cadence just played through the radio. As I grew older, though, I began to understand and appreciate what he was telling me. It helped me to become a better player and also better appreciate what was happening in the other parts around me. These guides have helped me to develop into a young musician and have definitely inspired me to continue their passion for teaching and become a music educator myself.
Music is always the place I can go to make myself feel good and I would like to help other people have this feeling. I want to have music in my life forever. In addition to my love of music itself, I want to instill that love in others. I will be forever grateful to my band directors, music teachers, and parents for allowing me to have the joy of music in my life and I would like to continue the cycle by giving someone else this amazing gift.
I believe everyone should have access to music education because music changes lives. Music transcends all the boundaries of race, gender, economic status, and distance. It connects us all and allows students to interact with others in ways that they may never have had otherwise. I had the opportunity to visit an internationally renowned music college last summer. While there, I met a rising high school senior much like myself except he lived in India. India seemed a world away to me at the time. Because we both had a passion for music, however, we spoke a similar language. Within minutes we connected. We
communicated as friends, and not as strangers, all because of our love of music. Giving a person the chance to learn about music opens up a whole new world of expression to them and allows them to expand their minds in an entirely different way. Children that have been exposed to music education tend to do better in school. Some of my earliest memories of learning skills are from singing and dancing along with Barney. I remember music and movement being a daily part of my kindergarten class. Music teaches things in a way that differs from the regular lecture. A student learns from experiencing instead of from just listening. We learn and apply math skills through the counting structures and patterns in music. This also helps us to see patterns in the real world resulting in a broadening of our scientific thinking. I’ve seen classmates even make up little songs to help them remember facts for tests. In this way, music serves as a study guide and a quick reference to recall facts. Music touches all facets of the school experience. I have had the privilege of performing before a thousand or so primary aged students. They come in very talkative, but once the music begins, the room transforms.
If a familiar song is played the
thousand become one in song and movement. Music can also be a stress reliever. For me, going to band is a chance to throw myself into the music and to forget about everything else. In middle school, I had band at the end of the day and it allowed me a little time to get away from the stressors my day had presented. In contrast, in high school I had band first period every day. This allowed me to start my day with something I love and usually put me in a great mood to begin my day. A music class can help calm stress, improve a student’s day, build on academic skills, and help improve a student’s overall self-concept. Music is also one of the easiest ways to express yourself. Whether it is through playing an instrument, singing, writing, or even dancing, music brings a way to communicate feelings that words alone just cannot. In each of these ways, music can change lives. As a result, I believe everyone should have access to music education.
Christopher Shorter graduated from Hewitt-Trussville High School in May and plans to major in music education at the University of Alabama. He attended the FAME program at the 2016 AMEA Conference and received AMEA’s FAME Scholarship.
August/September 2016
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