Why teaching?

Teaching wasn't something that had occurred to me growing up as an occupation option. In fact, I had no interest in becoming a teacher until I was a senior in high school. My ideas for what I wanted to do ranged from pharmacy to veterinarian to dental hygienist, but my passion had always been music. I knew better than to go for a performance major (no offense to any performance majors, it's just so hard to get a job in that field-too competitive). As much as I believed music education to be important even then, I didn't want to just be a boring music teacher either. Until someone told me about music therapy, I didn't think music was an option.


Music therapy is a relatively new field, and it grows and develops more each year. It sparked my interest, and I decided I wanted to go to school for that degree. However, at the time, the school I had decided on only had music education, so I decided to start with that.


I hate to put it this way, but I think I grew into my major. When I first started, I didn't really give too much thought toward teaching because it seemed so far away. But I feel I've matured a lot since my freshman year, and with every field experience and placement I love it more and more. Plus, I get to blend teaching with therapy- I'm currently leading a music therapy group at the Saint Peter's Regional Treatment Center, where I get to both teach music and offer it as a coping strategy for those that need it. I want to become a teacher and make sure that my students learn as much as they possibly can in the time I have with them. I believe that teachers need to want to be in the field for the kids and not for selfish reasons. I believe that music is a crucial part of education and needs to be included in the curriculum. I have become as passionate about the teaching aspect of music as I was about the performance and healing aspects of it, and these three things drive me to finish my major and get out into the world with my degree.