MUSIC TEACHERS OF EXCELLENCE RECIPIENT
DANIELLE TAYLOR

Tell us how your involvement with the CMA Foundation has impacted your students.

I am very fortunate to have been connected with the CMA Foundation for many years now. I have had so many wild opportunities- this summer, my students were able to sing at Nissan Stadium with Tim McGraw in front of 80,000 people. We have had guests visit my classroom and the connection, support, and the love and light that the CMA Foundation has put on my classroom and my students has been immeasurable.

One of the cool things about music education is that when we provide opportunities for students to make music and perform, they walk away with the feeling of “I can do this.” They walk away with that moment of pride on the inside for themselves, and then when they go to attempt something new, they can look backward and say, “I did that! I sang in front of 80,000 people. I can do the next thing- this is a piece of cake.” The more experiences and exposure that we can provide, the better speakers, the better businesspeople, and the better community members we will have overall.

How have the funds provided by the CMA Foundation impacted your classroom?

I love my job. I love what I do, I love making music, I love being with the kids, but I did not get into this profession for the money. It is a choice that I made because it is a passion, and it is a calling. The grant that comes along with the MToE award is so needed and it is so helpful. I can look at students and say here is a brand-new instrument that we were able to buy that they have never seen before. They can see it, touch it, and hear it, but also learn how to play it and transfer those skills to something else in their life. I have bought so many cool things for my classroom, including a MacBook used for recording studio stuff with my kids, I’ve bought ukeleles, I’ve bought drums and percussions, and the things that get overlooked a lot of times in budgets.

Why is funding for music education so crucial?

Funding, more now than ever, is so important. Where we invest our money and our time, that is where we put our priorities, and by investing in music education, we are investing in the lives of students, both intellectually, educationally, spiritually, and emotionally – all those things. When we go through hard times, (and there are lots of hard times going around), we give students the skills to be able to use music as a positive outlet where they can feel good about themselves and they can do something that is creative and beautiful, we give them skills that they can use for the rest of their lives.