Completing Our Education

When I was 11 years old, I joined my middle school Band program and began my musical journey. I always enjoyed music of various genres and considered myself "musical", but it wasn't until I began studying a musical instrument that I realized how important it was to me. By the time I graduated college with my Music Education degree, I had played in dozens of ensembles and cities across the country.

For the creative person, music is something you can feel, and it's often by improvising or composing that they realize their potential. For the engineer, music is something you can break apart, study, clean, and piece back together. In either case, the more one pursues music through the mastery of an instrument, the more they learn about who they are and what drives them. Musicians excel at finding patterns, communicating advanced concepts, working in groups, managing their time, and countless other skills.

As children grow and mature, one of the first things that is taken from them is play. Many believe that playing is something we allow in our spare time - when the "work" is done. When children play - when they experience for themselves - they learn about themselves and the world around them in ways that cannot be taught. An organized music program like Band, Choir, or Orchestra allows children to experience high-level learning in the way that is natural to them - whether it's by creating or engineering or anything in between. With this essential dose of play, students are far more equipped for the world they enter upon graduation, and they are ready to accomplish great things.