Alumni Spotlights

Emma Forest
BM Music Education ’18

“I am currently in my 4th year of being the 6-12 choral director at Moultonborough Academy where I teach 6-12 Chorus, 6th Grade General Music, HS Studio and Digital Recording, and HS Piano. I spent the first 3 years of my teaching career on the western side of NH teaching a range of 6-12 Chorus, HS Band, MS General Music, Piano and Guitar. I stayed a member of both New Hampshire Music Educator’s Association and New Hampshire American Choral Director’s Association where I currently serve as the NHMEA Large Group Chairperson and NHACDA President-Elect.

My studies at KSC prepared me with a quality and sustainable education that instilled in me the importance of music education for music educations sake. The professors inspired and motivated us while also being straight forward about the time commitment that our jobs would take and the walls we could come up against in our field. We attended conferences, got to hear and learn from other working professionals, and had real life experiences between our practicum, student teaching, and performance assignments.

Dr. Sandra Howard was my biggest influence during my time at Keene State College. I admired her ability to have strong and consistent leadership leadership for students and staff, while also modeling passion, advocacy, and empathy. We have grown to be colleagues and work together in several professional groups. We recently presented a session at the 2024 ACDA Eastern Conference together.

If you truly feel that music education is the right career path for you, make sure to persevere. It is so rewarding and not everyone gets to do what they love for work every single day. Embrace mistakes and learn from them. Don’t forget when you do starting teaching that you are working with brilliant young humans who all deserve love and support.

I am so proud of my education at Keene State College and I am thankful for the opportunities that I have been given since graduating.”

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