Randall Davis Memorial Music Scholarship

Ever since I was able to open my mouth, I have used it to sing. My parents even met in a community choir, so I was genetically predispositioned to love performing. I have known ever since I was a little girl that I was meant for the stage, however, it wasn't until high school that I became sure I wanted to be a teacher. Singing is my bread and butter, but I have also been a band kid for as long as I have been able- I picked up a clarinet in the 6th grade and never looked back. Though I didn't excel at instruments as much as I did in choir, I found a home in the band department and grew close with my director. In my senior year, he offered me a position as a student aide for his Special Needs Percussion class. I immediately agreed, but didn't realize just how much the class would affect me. Those mornings spent in the band room with 10-20 happy kids were some of the best of my school career. I realized through this opportunity that the act of teaching fed my soul and decided to pursue it. I am currently a junior studying music at CNU, on track to earn a B.M. in Choral Music Education and a Masters of Teaching in the 5-year program. During my time here I have been extremely involved in both the music and education communities. In addition to my studies, I am a dedicated member of ACDA (American Choral Directors Association). I have also served in the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) as Historian and President, having just been re-elected for a second presidential term. As president, I have worked to strengthen our bonds with the Newport News area by providing opportunities for our membership to go into local middle schools to lead small groups and sectionals with individualized attention focused on rebuilding fundamentals that were lost over the course of COVID. This work earned us a Chapter of Excellence Award at the state-wide conference this past fall! As a musician, I have sought out ways to experience music outside of academics. This led me to join my acapella group, University Sounds. This ensemble has had an invaluable impact on me and my time in college. It provided me a space to let loose, make friends, and make music in a low stress environment. I have held multiple elected positions in the group, including Marketing Director, Assistant Music Director, and Music Director. During my time in the group, I took on the mammoth project of planning our organizations 15 Year Reunion. This was a massive undertaking, but through my years' worth of planning and collaboration with CNU's alumni house, I pulled it off! It was so heartwarming to see generations of musicians together in one room. As Music Director, I have led our group through a rough transition where we lost almost half of our membership (losing some voice parts entirely). Despite this, we competed at invitationals, put on an impressive spring concert, and collaborated with the other 5 campus groups to put on a show in the largest concert hall on campus. This event even earned the acapella community a nomination for a Campus Collaboration Leadership Award! Beyond the music, I have worked very hard to foster genuine relationships between members. This hard work has paid off because I have heard countless times from members that our group has grown to truly feel like a family, and I hope to continue to nurture these kinds of relationships in my own future classroom.