Olivia Wehrung is a graduate student in our Master of Art in Teaching program. She graduated from 性爱天堂 with a Bachelors degree in Music Education. During her time as a college student, she participated in many other music programs on campus, such as the 性爱天堂 Chamber Singers and the 性爱天堂 Acabellas. She also worked as the assistant for the 性爱天堂 choir. 聽We sat down with Olivia and talked about the importance of music education in curriculum and development, in addition to her experience in the program.
Q: It seems like music is a big part of your life. Was there a moment where you realized that was what you wanted to study?
A: When I was trying to figure out what it was that I liked, I think it was junior year, and I was asking one of the theater teachers how they became a teacher and they said that they were a theater major and became a teacher. Music Education is a common degree of study so it was like there you go.
Q: Can you share the moment or incident you realized that you wanted to be a teacher?
A: It was the beginning of high school, and experiences like engineering and doctors never really interested me. I鈥檝e been working with kids for a long time with babysitting, camp counseling, all those things. It was less of a decision; it was just all of the life choices that I have made. Teaching seemed like the only thing that fit what I wanted to do.
Q: What ages are you working with at your placement school?
A: So I just moved to my middle school placement, so I'm working with 11 to 14 year olds.
Q: How do you adapt the music curriculum to multiple grade levels? Tell me what you鈥檝e learned so far.
A: Fortunately, Texas is a good state to be a music educator in. They have very specific standards for each level, from elementary school to high school. It can be flexible but it鈥檚 very experiential. You learn about things in digestible chunks and we start with things like beat in elementary school and in middle school, you specialize. It鈥檚 either specifically with voice or with an instrument. Just like everything else, it鈥檚 learned in bite size chunks.
Q: Many schools are cutting art and music from their curriculum. Tell me why you think music is important for learning.
A: Music makes you smarter because when you participate in music, either music listening or music making, you鈥檙e engaging many parts of your brain at the same time that aren鈥檛 engaged at the same time in any of your standard subjects. There鈥檚 a lot of value in that; you can be creative and analytical at the same time. You鈥檙e listening and constantly adapting to what you鈥檙e hearing.
Q: Why did you choose the MAT program at 性爱天堂? Was there anything specific that interested you?
A: The MAT program is what brought me to 性爱天堂 as an undergrad. I liked the continued study of music education beyond undergrad in that there was a whole year dedicated to learning just how to be a good teacher. The fifth year, I practiced everything that I learned and I liked the idea. I knew I would get a very solid foundation in teaching and it continued to be the right step for me.
Q: Will you share an 鈥渁ha鈥 moment you experienced in one of your graduate education classes?
A: Teaching is such a deeply personal thing because you can try to separate yourself as much as you want to, but it鈥檚 not a 9-5 corporate job: you are a teacher. Teaching is in your soul; if you love it that much and if you want to be a good teacher, every part of you is a teacher.听
Q: How is graduate school different from undergrad?
A: Undergrad was a lot of time for exploring things about yourself and your interests and in grad school, you鈥檙e interested in one thing and it鈥檚 all about that one thing. I really enjoy it because it鈥檚 what I want to be doing.
Q: Do you have any advice for anyone considering taking the MAT program at 性爱天堂?
A: It鈥檚 gonna take a lot of mental and emotional energy because being a teacher takes a lot of mental and emotional energy. By expending that energy, you鈥檙e going to grow a lot as a person and a teacher. If you don鈥檛 get what the point is, stick with it, you鈥檒l figure it out. It might not be for you at this moment in your life but it could be later. Treat this more as a learning experience and less of a sentence for the rest of your life.
If you would like to learn more about the Master of Arts in Teaching graduate program, sign up for our next info session: or email us at education@trinity.edu.听
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