Cristian Valentin
Equinox Staff
This week, three Keene State music education students reacted to an article published by the Keene Sentinel.
This article written by Meg McIntyre of the Keene Sentinel said, “100 percent of the college’s (Keene) music education alumni reported starting a career in the field—either in education or in performance—or entering a graduate program within one year of completing their degree.”
The three Keene State students interviewed were music education majors Grant Desmarais, Bryce Jones, and Madison Gubata. All three students responded very positively to the article, each sharing optimistic viewpoints.
Sophomore Grant Desmarais said, “It’s very hopeful that there’s been so many who have got jobs right after, it bodes well for the future.” Sophomore Bryce Jones said this excited him, and the positive statistics for the music education department were part of the reason that he chose to come to Keene.
First-year Madison Gubata said, “It makes me feel very secure that when I graduate, I’ll be placed into a job, and I know that teaching jobs are hard to find sometimes because Music Education is such a sought after thing.”
The students also attributed a lot of this student success to the professors, with Desmarais saying they have a good influence on the statistic due to the connections they have as well as their recommendations carrying a lot of meaning.
Jones agreed with the professors having a big role, saying, “It seems like we have a lot of professors that are also on a lot of boards such as National Association for Music Education, so we have a lot of connections that way.”
Gubata also said, “At least here, I know the Music Education professors are extremely qualified and they’re very dedicated to their students and with their recommendations and their help, it’s very easy for people to get jobs.”
Each of the students said they feel that they have grown a lot in terms of their skills since they first arrived at Keene. Desmarais said, “I’ve definitely changed my work ethic a lot, realizing how much work goes into music education was a reality check that I needed to work harder.” Jones said that he has grown very much due to the music department here teaching a lot of things that other schools do not. Gubata said that her most significant growth has been academically and as a performer in her time at Keene.
Desmarais, Jones, and Gubata included that the music education department has allowed them some great opportunities such as being able to go to the National American Choral Directors Conference in Kansas City, performing in the jazz band ensemble and being able to do consistent performances that allow continued growth. The students also named some of their most influential professors that they’ve had including Dr. Wright Ivanova, Professor Gilligan, and Professor Matathias.
Cristian Valentin can be contacted at
cvalentin@kscequinox.com
