Katherine Jones submitted the following essay with her application for the June M. Hinckley Music Education Scholarship. Applicants were asked to respond to the prompts “Why do you wish to become a music
educator?” and “Why should music be available to all students?” Katherine’s essay appears here with minor editing and the addition of a headline.
Music Teachers Play a Crucial Role in the Lives and Education of Their Students by Katherine Jones
June M. Hinckley Music Education Scholarship Recipient
I
“I love my music teachers because they have your best interest in mind” (Dominic Miller, eighth grade, Harrison
Middle School in Harrison, Arkansas). Music has been a part of my life since the very beginning, and growing up there was no doubt that music would be a part of my
future in some form. I was blessed with excellent teachers
who poured themselves into their students both in and out of the classroom throughout my schooling. I have
always been grateful for the relationships that I held with
my music teachers and the impact that they left on me.
their lives outside of the influence of my classroom. “My
on the very principles and lessons taught to me by my
than most of my teachers” (Anna Morin, sixth grade,
My aspirations to become a music educator are founded music teachers.
I always knew the impact my music teacher had on
my own life. Throughout my years at Lakeland Christian School, she has become one of my most outstanding
mentors and friends, along with being an incredible teacher. However, it was not until I interviewed my
peers that I understood that I was not alone in my expe-
rience. Music teachers play a crucial role in the lives and education of their students that could not be filled by anyone else. That is why I want to be a music teacher, to have the opportunity to have an impact on students
not limited to music, but an effect that they carry into
12 F l o r i d a
Music Director
music teachers definitely get to see a better side of me
Lakeland Christian School in Lakeland, Florida). Music
teachers bring out the best parts of their students and
always encourage them to become the best people they can be, and that is the same influence I hope to have on my students, to be dedicated the same way as Imani
Ferrari’s choir teacher at Blake Academy who stayed after school with her and spent countless hours preparing her for her auditions. My music educators took my
existing love for music and multiplied it through their
time and efforts, and in the future, I can only hope to have half the impact on my students as they have had on me. So, why do I want to be a music educator? So that I
