I believe in the importance and value of the arts, and most passionately, of music. Music enriches life in innumerable ways. Music inspires and has the ability to affect one’s emotions and mental state. It has even been shown to have therapeutic qualities. Music provides a unique and satisfying way to express oneself, and it can be full of joy, entertainment, and profound meaning. It has been said that “music transforms language like a ‘wonderful elixir’…music has the privilege of transcendental immediacy; poetry is transfigured by it” (Kramer, 2). In addition, music promotes high levels of thinking, develops important skills including discipline, dedication, patience, time-management, cooperation with others, and “music can also be used to present ideas and build concepts, teach or persuade, entertain, design, plan, beautify, and create (Consortium of National Arts Education Associations [CNAEA], 1994).” It also provides opportunities for collaboration and fellowship with others and is extremely intertwined and connected with culture and society, philosophy and religion. I believe everyone can benefit, learn from, and appreciate music and will be able to do so through increasing their knowledge and experience with it through education and personal initiative.
Most importantly, it is a vessel for creativity and beauty and therefore reflects facets of God‘s nature. C.S. Lewis wrote about this in The Weight of Glory, “The books or the music in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them…For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited…” My goal is to use music to glorify the One who has gifted me with my abilities and to use music to serve others, encouraging them to use their own talents to reach out to others as well. This attitude and mindset will inform my perspective on all aspects of my career, including teaching and the way I relate to my students. I want to cultivate true artists and strive to treat students in a Christ-like way during the process. It is hard to imagine a world without music, and I agree with Kodaly’s statement that “music is essential to human development.”
“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent.”
~Victor Hugo
“The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." ~Johann Sebastian Bach
"Everybody can be great...because anyone can serve." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Work cited: Kramer, Lawrence. Music and Poetry the 19. Century and after. Berkeley, Calif. [u.a.: Univ. of California Pr., 1984. Print.
About Me
- ~Natalie Renee' Sherer~
- Experiencing life in a musical family, I have been exposed to classical music for my whole life and quickly developed a deep passion for it. I have always been drawn to the piano and begged my parents for lessons. At the age of seven, I began taking piano lessons and have now been playing and performing for over 15 years. I have taught piano lessons for two private students. In addition, I love to sing (Soprano). I also play the cello. After highschool, I studied in New York City at Manhattan School of Music. Currently, I am studying at the Conservatory of Music at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. I thank God for the talent He has given me and love to reach out to others through music. I hope to be an inspiration to others as I continue to develop my gifts and pursue my personal, educational, professional goals.
