Comments

Allison Thurnherr
02/10/2012 07:30

First of all, thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to come talk to us! I found this presentation/discussion extremely engaging and informative. It was wonderful to hear successful music educators speak with such enthusiasm about all aspects of being in the field. I found it inspirational and reassuring that one's goals in music education can be achieved. It was also encouraging to have successful women in the field present also. As for the ensemble itself, this is an invaluable resource that central New York music educators are extremely lucky to enjoy and I hope that I am able to have the opportunity to take part in either this group or something similar.

Thank you!

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Jason Kammerer
02/10/2012 09:21

Thank you all for what I felt was one of the most meaningful presentations I've witnessed as a music education student in my carreer thus far. As students, it is our job to learn as much as possible about the field into which we are going. With our focus being music, learning all of the instruments, their pedagogy, and the theory and history behind it all is essential. However, what we cannot learn in a classroom is experience. The most important resources we will have as future music educators, are people such as yourselves: current music educators making a difference in the world, who are willing to share their experiences and advice. Coming into our class and talking with us about your lives both music and aside, was not only extremely insightful but it also reaffirmed, at least for me, that this is the right career choice for me. Thank you again for taking the time out of your busy lives to share your experiences with us. A huge impact was made!

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Jamie Yavorsky
02/11/2012 11:37

I really enjoyed your presentation at our NAfME meeting. It means so much to hear advice from people who are living the lives that we hope to have one day-- real people with families, school jobs, side jobs, and other activities to pursue. I know for me performing music was never competitive, and I never saw myself performing in a serious ensemble as an adult because of my lack of a competitive drive. Knowing the ensembles can exist for teachers is motivating; this is something I could start in my town. I am sure there are lots of teachers in my area who can't be tied down to weeknight rehearsals and traveling for concerts like you might find in a state band or orchestra, but a community ensemble might not be challenging enough for them. This is the best of both worlds. So you all have really spread the good news about this kind of group-- and I know that if I were to start an ensemble like this one in five years in my own town, I would feel comfortable coming back to this website and contacting you again with more tips for me at that stage of life. Thank you again for a wonderful presentation!

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Ashley Nichols
02/11/2012 22:40

I thought that your presentation at our NAfME meeting was one of the most enlightening and helpful presentations we have had to date. It was so refreshing to see actual music educators that have jobs and lives and to hear you all talk about your experiences. Sometimes as a student it's hard to picture what life will be like as a teacher, and how hard it will be to juggle everything, but hearing your experiences made me feel even more sure about the choice I'm making to become a music teacher. I really enjoyed hearing about your experiences in playing with Central Winds and how it keeps you all playing and can separate from your 'teaching' persona. I hope to teach in Central New York in the future, and your presentation about the Central Winds group has really inspired me to hopefully join this group or a similar one in the future. Thank you again for your presentation!

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Julianna Mateyko
02/14/2012 16:21

Hearing comments about real people in the field was really great. I can imagine my carreer going a certain way and I can hope that certain things don't stop after college but now I know I can still perform in a high quality ensemble and teach full time. Also hearing the reality of the time commitment truly required for full time teaching was amazingly helpful.

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