Capitol Section Update

Getting To Know A Student Teacher

An Interview with Wesley Schoch

by Patrick Neff

1) What led to your interest in music education?

I am currently student teaching at Willma Cavitt Junior High and Ridgeview Elementary in Granite Bay teaching grades 5, 6 ,7, and 8. I was led to Sac State's credential program because it is where I completed my undergraduate work, and both my mom and sister are Sac State alumni. My mom also received her teaching credential through Sac State and spoke to the program from when she was earning her credential.

3) You recently attended CASMEC. How was your experience?

I had a great experience at CASMEC. It was such a surreal experience to look around and see that everyone was a music educator of some kind and that everyone had a unique perspective into music education. I enjoyed meeting new people, reconnecting with people that I already knew, and spending time with my peers from Sac State while learning a lot about teaching music.

4) Did you have a favorite part of the conference and did anything surprise you?

When I was about to start 7th grade, my parents told me that they were forcing me to join band for a year because they wanted each of their kids to have experience learning music in a band setting. After my initial protesting, I ended up enjoying it and stayed in band for the next 6 years. I loved my experience with band in high school, but when I got into college, I tried to pursue other majors thinking that band was just a "for fun" thing. But I always found myself unhappy and unfulfilled in the several other majors that I tried. One Friday night, I was particularly sad and was walking nearby a local high school and heard the pep band playing one of my favorite pep tunes to play. I started feeling extremely nostalgic for music and wondered if I could make a career out of something that I loved. I started playing my trombone again and felt myself become happy again. I didn't think that playing solely for myself would be fulfilling to me, but I was attracted to the idea of being able to teach music, the thing that had restored my joy in life, to students and allow them to share in that happiness and have the same positive experiences that I had.

2) Where are you student teaching and what led you to the Sac State credential program?

My favorite part of the conference was Dr. Peter Boonshaft's "24 Ways to Improve Every Rehearsal Through Inspired Teaching." I left that session inspired and itching to get back in my classroom and start applying some of his ideas to my own teaching. It was obvious how much he cares about kids, and I loved seeing his excitement about creating positive experiences for students in his classes and learning new ways that I can implement his ideas in my own classes.

5) How can current music educators best support someone like you who is beginning their career?

I think that the best way to support newer music educators like myself is by being willing to talk about and share teaching techniques that have worked for you. I have often heard that developing one's abilities for teaching is like amassing a big bag of tricks - finding what works and what doesn't work for you. The faster that we can teach well, the faster we can effectively serve our students and provide them with better music making experiences.