Behind the scenes: crafting my musical toolbox

Abstract

Ever since my time in middle school band, I have known I wanted to be a music educator. I believe a music classroom is the perfect environment to explore what a collaborative atmosphere truly entails. What I find so amazing about music making is that we are all able to come together as diverse individuals with different backgrounds, ideas, and interests to create a communicative and accepting ensemble ready to share our uniqueness with the world. Music is one of the most powerful mediums for learning life lessons and gaining lifetime memories and friendships, all while exploring and learning through a music curriculum. My love of music first started when I began playing the oboe, and now I have a passion for teaching and discovering more about music. I have learned, developed, and improved my skills and abilities as an oboist and musician over the past four years at Ball State University. Through classes, ensembles, and field experiences, I have progressed in my abilities as an educator in diverse musical settings. Learning how to become an experienced professional educator does not only happen in discussions, listenings, readings, and writings for classes and coursework. It also comes from life experiences and the application of knowledge in the field. I knew that performing a solo recital would benefit me as a future educator because of the opportunity to put into practice what I have learned and what I would be learning over the course of preparing for a recital. The goal of my Honors creative project is to not only share my love of music making through a performance, but to also share the journey of preparing for my recital. It is through sharing my journey that I can reflect on the experience and articulate why it has given me the opportunity to grow as an educator and be a better resource for my students. By providing a behind the scenes look into my preparation, thought process, and presentation I can better express how this experience has expanded my musical “toolbox.”