This blog is brought to you, once again, by Time Hop’s GPS to memory lane. Today, it took me back to twelve years ago at my high school chorus Christmas concert. I thought I knew everything about everything at seventeen. There was a handful of things that concerned me and they mostly surrounded the idea of college. I didn’t know what I wanted to do career wise, I didn’t know where I was going to school, I didn’t know who I would room with, where I would live, and if I would ever get a job in the field that I chose…which at the time I didn’t know what that was.
I hear my students all the time stress about “real world” drama. As parents, we listen, but do we really hear? My mom was an excellent example of support. She would listen to every minute bit of drama that consumed my life-things that really didn’t matter. I hope to do the same for Ellie and Peyton. Planning the rest of your life at seventeen years old is scary. Did you know that 20%-50% of all students enter college with a major of “undecided”? So how does one decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives? They are inspired!
In a marriage, they say the seventh year is the hardest. For me, teaching has been the same way. I’ve had lots of moments of stepping back and analyzing the big picture. Don’t get me wrong, I reflect all of the time, but not so much on the big picture. Last year, I graduated 32 seniors from my programs, and this upcoming spring I have even more leaving. I tend to cram my students schedules with opportunities. I want them to be able to do it all. When they walk across the stage with their diploma, I think on all of the days they spent in practice for musicals, competitions, honor choirs, All State festivals, solos, show choir performances, monologues, etc. And I hear the principal announce the different things that they plan to major in: nursing, engineering, underwater basket weaving…there’s not a ton of music majors. This is where my big picture thinking wheels begin to turn. If these students are not planning on spending the rest of their lives teaching or performing music, why did they spend so much time and energy submerged in my curriculum? Because the music inspired them.
A performing arts class offers skills that are beyond just reading notes and singing in tune. A politician would suck if he had not had proper “stage time” in front of an audience. A nurse would not work well with a group of doctors if they didn’t first have stressful team building activities like moving sets for a show. A newscaster needs to build up skills in memorization like that of memorizing lines. Every human being needs to feel a sense of belonging like knowing the alto section cannot be as strong without you. These same human beings deserve to feel the sense of release when expressing themselves artistically instead of bottling up emotions.
This girl at the concert found herself during her time in this program. All of her future questions were answered in the realm of music.
She was named Outstanding Chorus Student that same semester at the Madison County Honor Choir festival.
She met Dr. Ian Loeppky from the University of North Alabama when he conducted the Madison County Honor Choir festival.
He gave her scholarship money to the University of North Alabama where she majored in choral music education.
She began subbing for her chorus teacher gaining teaching experience before graduating high school.
She was recommended and accepted the following semester to study with Mrs. Gene Anne Gifford for private voice lessons at the University of North Alabama. She became her mentor, partner, and lifelong friend.
She met her husband across the road from the University of North Alabama music department building. They married and had two very musically inclined children.
She worked at a private school and taught show choir at a public school before graduating college.
The semester she graduated college, she had five job offers. She accepted her dream job of teaching chorus and drama in the hit recording capitol of the world.
There has never been a day that I wake up and wished I had majored in anything else. I love my job! I love the opportunities I get to put together for these kiddos each day. As I reflect on this semester, I return to the original question: Was all that we did worth it? It most certainly was. I know that my students gained so much that will benefit them in any area they choose to major in. Now, there is definitely some things I would have changed, but overall, I accomplished what I wanted this class to do: inspire. My high school chorus teacher, vocal coaches, and mentors inspired me constantly to accept the path that God had already laid perfectly out for me. I just didn’t know it in these pictures.
Tonight is my alma mater’s Christmas concert. I pray for each of those seniors. How exciting to not know “the plan” yet, but to know that your Heavenly Father has it laid it perfectly for you. Trust Him. I pray for their teacher. She happens to be one of the best I know. I know this, because I was four years old when she started teaching me. She is one of my biggest inspirations. The greatest gift she ever gave me was the gift of music. Finally, I pray that the concert is the best one yet. Go inspire, choir! Give back what you’ve been given.
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