It’s no secret that when a school makes budget cuts, one of the first things to go are the arts programs, which has been the reality for one third of New Jersey school districts in the last two years. Now, news of the dismantling of the Department of Education has only raised more concern for students and teachers (or is it just safe to say, everyone?), and it is getting harder to picture what becoming a teacher in the next few years may look like.
“It’s just political shifts that’s the problem,” explained sophomore jazz music education major Chris Parr, when asked if there have been any recent changes to his perception of teaching. “Nothing a professor has said to me has made me rethink my decisions but to put it lightly, the current political climate has caused me to overlook this entire thing.”
But Parr, like many other students, is still going strong with their pursuits to work in the education field, despite some uncertainty. The desire to do the job itself outweighs the concerns. As Parr described his motivation to keep his major, “When that light bulb moment finally happens, it’s kind of… I don’t know, it’s irreplaceable. I can’t envision myself doing anything else. I haven’t gotten that feeling from thinking about any other pursuit.”
For those in the music education degree program, it’s the passion that keeps them motivated– certainly not just the “convenience” of finishing out a degree they have already started.
“If you don’t see the end goal, you’re not gonna make it. But if you remember the passion that you had and the reason why you wanted to go into music education, (to) inspire others, then it’s still worth it,” says Heather Boronow, who holds the publicity position on the board of the campus chapter of the National Association for Music Educators organization.
Between the end goal of being a student and becoming a music teacher are a few challenges specific to music education majors. For one, the degree is set up mostly by a strict chronological sequence of classes, which is atypical to other education degrees offered by the University. Additionally, music majors need to add lessons for their applied instrument of study and credits for various ensembles, causing most students to max out on their 19 credits covered by tuition, or sometimes even hitting 20.
Heather Boronow, who is taking 19 credits of classes this semester in addition to orchestra, shared “Even when you’re making your schedule for the semester, it’s like, yeah, it’s max credits, but oh, it doesn’t look that bad. But no, it is bad, because you’ve got lessons, you’ve got sectionals, you’ve got all these little things as a music major that (are) not in right away. And then the weeks come up and it just gets more and more and more.”
She added that getting used to such a compact schedule that leaves minimal time to do other activities can feel limiting, and this doesn’t go without notice by the department staff.
“I think while they’re a student, their biggest challenge is time,” said Dr.Carol Frierson-Campbell, music education program coordinator. Since her tenure began in 2007, she’s worked with students through the highs and lows of taking on such a compact yet rewarding degree. Another common source of frustration for students is all of the state-enforced requirements, which Dr. Frierson-Campbell does believe that “some of the reasons for them could be clearer.”
On the other hand, her music education staff colleague, Dr. Diane Falk-Romaine (who will retire after 33 years at the University this spring), had contrasting thoughts on this matter. She believes that although the elimination of the Praxis Core exam last year opened the doors for many future teachers and current education students, “they still have to jump through a lot of hurdles that are put in front of them by the state that I don’t think is necessary…they still have a 3.0 required GPA, and I have wonderful students who are like a 2.9 and they can’t go on until they get a 3.0. But yet, you look at them and say, ‘This person’s gonna be a great teacher.’ I don’t think the grades they got truly reflect what their skill level is. So I have some disagreements about the state and what they say teachers should know and be able to do,” she shared confidently.
As a final challenge, a busy schedule and the pressure to be a great teacher, performer, and student can take a toll on one’s physical and mental health. Adrian Sorice, the vice president of the campus’ National Association for Music Educators chapter, felt very supported by his advisors and professors when he decided to take a semester off for mental health reasons. On that experience, he shares, “In music, a lot of students suffer in silence and I don’t think it has to be that way. There could be more open discussion about it.”
Since the culture of majoring in music is to maximize the 19 allotted credits, there comes pressure to do that to keep up, even when unnecessary. But from Adrian’s experience, he advises that “you don’t need to conquer everything right away. I know the curriculum is overwhelming and it’s hard to maintain a social-emotional balance with the workload balance, I know a lot of times people go for one route over another, but don’t take on the world and then have to do it twice.”
Another music education student, Brianna Salinas, who specializes in voice and is the president of the Music Educators chapter, shared her deeply personal experiences about her own “scary” levels of stress that caused minor physical health issues but was grateful to have learned about herself in the process. On preventing stress, “a big aspect is learning how to say no,” she stated. Brianna accredited her epiphany to wisdom spoken by her vocal instructor and professor, Dr. Christopher Herbert. Similar to her peer Adrian, she realized, “I don’t have to go with whatever everyone else is doing, but I also have learned so much from (Dr. Herbert) on the technical aspect, because he’s amazing, so he’s helped me grow and mature in my singing voice.”
Across all interviews conducted, not one student had a negative comment about a staff member, which is a positive reason that the music education majors hold dearly. Joe Sabando, a sophomore who is already gaining experience in the public school system, said “Dr. Herbert is a fantastic teacher and he just made me excited to go to class…I also had (professor) Kalcheim this year for the first time, just an incredible teacher. He’s so knowledgeable and passionate about what he does. And those models make me want to do better constantly, and make me even more excited to be a teacher.”
As an additional praise of the William Paterson music ed program specifically, Joe added, “One thing that I truly love is that they equip you more than any other college (from what) I’ve seen of how the real world is going to be.”
Elaborating on this topic is James Ambrose, a jazz music education major, who stated “This program is really special, and it’s one of a kind because I went to so many other jazz schools trying to figure out where I wanted to go, but this is the only school where you can be a (jazz) ed major and work with ensembles, work with the professors, and get private lessons at the same time.”
Another unique experience for music students in the University’s Chamber Winds ensemble is the annual sensory-friendly concert, pioneered by band director Dr. Purcell-Giles, and this is an especially insightful experience for music education majors.
“When we’re having the sensory-friendly concert, I love the way that (Dr. Purcell-Giles) gets very empowered. She helped me realize that we should have more inclusivity in performances…I think I want to do something like that as well,” said music education major Sofia Lopez-Rodriguez, who, in addition to giving private lessons on clarinet, gives horseback riding lessons to people with disabilities.
For Sofia, having that niche passion within teaching itself makes a world of difference in terms of desiring to become a teacher. When asked about what else it takes to go into music education specifically, she said,“I think you have to be very down-to-earth, especially when you’re teaching students how to play instruments for the first time.”
Luckily for William Paterson music education students, the rigorous curriculum, knowledgeable staff, and unique opportunities shape them up to have this necessary quality.
When asked what she believes her music education students excel at, education program coordinator Dr. Frierson-Campbell remarked, “People come up to me and tell me how much they like our students, that they’re down-to-earth and that they know what they’re doing.”
While hearing these accolades about her students in general makes her proud, it’s seeing the growth of individuals over the course of their time at William Paterson. She added, “I think when a student finds themselves, that’s what makes me proudest, whether it’s finding themselves in a music education way or not.”
This illustrates that the professors are rooting for the students as people, and not just a faceless number in their program. The retiring Dr. Falk-Romaine accredited this virtue to the “hands-on approach that all the faculty have here (making) a big difference.”
Though there are struggles of managing time, expectations, and mental health that music education majors at William Paterson face, the internal passion to teach and the external support system they have in the staff inspires the students to persevere, as they are certainly going to be making a unique difference in the education system.
“With music ed, especially, we make a difference with our students here,” Dr. Falk-Romaine shared. “I watch them grow as people and as musicians over the four years. I love the type of student we get, and then they go out and do the same thing in the public schools. They make a difference in the kids’ lives.”
