CLASS ACTS
musical
mentor A BAND TEACHER WHO CONDUCTS CONFIDENCE BY SINCLAIR HOLIAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MICHAEL SIMPSON
I
t’s Friday morning at Thales Academy, and for a moment, Raqasia Siler’s band room is quiet. Then, with the ring of the bell, sixth graders file in, and with them, a discordance of flutes, clarinets, trumpets and more fills the air, blasting an enthusiastic warm-up for the class ahead. With a wave of Raqasia’s hand, the chaos turns to silence. Another day of music education has begun.
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CHATHAM MAGAZINE
Raqasia’s musical journey started long before her time at Thales. She grew up listening to her father play multiple instruments, and in middle school, she started playing one of her own – the flute. After graduating high school, she studied music at Greensboro College. At first, she didn’t see a career in music education in her future. “I actually wanted to be a music therapist,” she recalls. Her love for children, combined with a passion for teaching others how to progress within the music world, led Raqasia to accept a kindergarten teaching assistant position at Thales after graduation. A year later, she shifted to teaching music, art and technology. Now, she works with students from pre-K through seventh grade. Teaching music to such a wide range of ages can make for a frenzied day full of high energy and noise. But thinking back to her own education, Raqasia knows her effort is worth it. “When I was in elementary school, we weren’t really able to play instruments or sing as much,” she says. In contrast, her students spend valuable time every week learning new instruments and reading music. They’re enhancing other skills, too – students practice counting and reading, analyze the science of sound and discuss lyrics from their favorite songs. “[Music] plays a part in every subject,” Raqasia says, “and I think that it helps nurture those subjects as well.” Engaging with music also helps students’ mental wellness – a benefit Raqasia understands well from her interest in music therapy. Students who might struggle with behavior in their other classes can have completely different experiences in her classroom. “If they come to music class, it’s a whole different ballgame,” she says. For most of her sixth-grade students, Raqasia’s classroom is their first formal experience playing in a band. Sixth-graders Kiran Sivo (clarinet)
WINTER 2023-2024
I knew that if I did anything professionally in music, it would be about helping others. I love that I get to both play and teach.