FAME
(Future Alabama Music Educators) Scholarship Essay
Editor’s Note: AMEA recently awarded the FAME scholarship to Keturah Kuchinski, a 2017 graduate of Oxford High School. Scholarship recipients must have attended the FAME program and plan to major in music education at an Alabama university. Keturah plans to major in music education at Auburn University beginning this fall.
Why I Want to be a Music Teacher by Keturah Kuchinski
From a young age, I have always enjoyed being involved in musical activities. Whether it was singing in my church, elementary choirs, taking beginner piano lessons from my mom, and even learning how to play the recorder. I believe all of these experiences led me to the decision of becoming a part of our school’s sixth grade band. I had no idea of even what instrument I would play, but after some instruction and suggestions from my band director, I settled on the clarinet. After being a part of the band for the past six years as a clarinetist and drum major, the experiences and opportunities it has given me have ultimately led me to pursue a lifelong career in music, something I had never imagined when I began this musical journey.
The reason I have always loved and I have had a passion for music is because I believe music is a very important aspect of living a happy and fulfilled life. Music feeds the soul, but it also does much more than that. Research shows that music has an impact on brain development, it can help soothe emotional distress, it can be used for therapy with those with brain injuries, it can be used for aesthetic enjoyment, and ultimately, music can be used as an act of worship. I believe God has gifted me musical talents and abilities to serve others and to make a difference. That is why I am interested in finding ways to use music across and throughout all aspects of education. I have a personal interested in this, having a brother with autism and seeing the positive effects that music has on his ability to memorize information, to improve his verbal and language skills, and on his overall mood and affect. It is proven that the use of music can help students remember the periodic table, using music helps stroke patients recover speech, singing can help Alzheimer’s patients recover memories, and music therapies are used for students with disabilities. We are in exciting times in which brain scans reveal that music is the only activity that engages and activates every
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area of the brain at the same time, especially when someone is playing a musical instrument versus just listening to music. Research also shows that students that are engaged in playing a musical instrument achieve higher standardized test scores than those that do not. The arts are so important in more ways than are realized, and I believe research into the education and psychology of music will prove how essential music is to our very lives and why music must remain a core part of education in the public schools. I believe that formal music education should begin early, as soon as students enter school, and should be continued and required each year through graduation due to the proven benefits that music has on brain development, learning and memory, and even mood and overall satisfaction with life. Through this journey, I have not only learned the fundamentals of music and how music has changed my life, but I have learned a greater impact and importance that music can have on the lives of others. I plan to pursue music education and performance in college, and ultimately hope to become a music educator so that I can teach, research, conduct, and perform, working to make music education an important part of every school curriculum that is fully integrated across all content areas.
Music education is vital to overall development, which includes academic achievement, social interactions, emotional regulation, and even spiritual connections that will last a lifetime. That is why every student and every individual deserves access to music education from pre-k through high school, no matter what their background or socioeconomic status. I believe that music is a necessity for a fulfilled life, and this goal can only be accomplished through having music as a part of all levels of public education.
August/September 2017
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