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to rejoining the ranks of the music makers once they decide that music is not a priority in college. In music, as in life, it’s hard to get something back once you give it up.
It’s true that the transition from high school to college can be stressful, but most of my students, including the non-music majors, consider their ensembles to be the best stress relievers of the week. There are scientific studies showing that working all areas of your brain makes the individual areas more effective, and music can be a rejuvenating right-brain activity for those who are majoring in left-brain-dominant subjects, such as math and science.
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When our Oregon CMENC chapters plan their activities for next year, I encourage them to organize visits to high-school ensembles. Let them know that music doesn’t have to end with high school. Relate your own experiences to them and answer their questions about the ensembles at your institution. If your advocacy keeps even one or two students engaged in music when they make the transition to college, it will be worthwhile.
To our high-school directors: I ask that you encourage your students to continue in music after they graduate from high school. It’s also important to identify the students in your ensembles who have the potential to become music educators themselves. Take those special students aside and actually tell them that they have the ability, not only to succeed, but to excel as music teachers. That little bit of encouragement may make a big difference for a student who is undecided how to channel his or her energies in college.
Finally, I would like to let you know how much
I have enjoyed serving as OMEA’s College Chair. Working with the CMENC chapters and their advisors has been a delight. I’m confident your new college chair, Cynthia Hutton, will have as much fun as I did in her dealings with CMENC chapters across the state. I look forward to serving in my new capacity as your OMEA Second Vice-President and organizing the state solo contest next year. As always, I encourage you to email me at burchpem@ pacificu.edu—I will be pleased to help you in any way that I can.
