Caitlin Atwood EDU Blog

 So far from this week, I have made some student connections during rehearsals and other school activities happening at Washington.  This past week has mainly been meetings with staff and workshops, but luckily I have gotten the chance to attend evening rehearsals and some beginning of the year traditions for the band, including playing at freshmen orientation and playing at the activities kick off. I have been trying to learn students' names and matching the face to the name for the most part. Mr. Wacker has introduced me to the whole band, which they were all incredibly nice and welcoming to me. I am not the best with matching face to names, so a goal for me throughout this first placement is to remember names of all of the kids in the band. It will take some time, but I know that this is possible from my past experiences.

The reason why I wanted to go into education was because of my experiences in the band room at my high school. The way that music was able to bring students together made me want to go into the field to create a place where students can come together, just like I experienced. Music has been a very strong passion for me and I want to share my passion with my future students. With music classrooms nationwide having budget cuts, it might be a struggle. I am willing to take on these challenges so that my future students can get the music education that they deserve. I want to leave a legacy in the music classroom where everyone feels like they belong. Based on my experiences when I was a student, I want my students to have the same sense of belonging that I experienced.