Who Am I?

Hello readers!  My name is John FitzGerald, the students at my internship call me Mr. Fitz, and I am on my way to fulfilling my dream of being a lifelong music educator.

I'm a late bloomer to the world of music.  I first picked up a guitar on my 14th birthday and before college I was almost entirely self taught.  My high school music education didn't take place in a classroom, but rather the local coffee house for open-mic night every Thursday.  In college I transformed into a polished, classically-trained tenor and earned a degree in vocal performance and communications.   I went from not knowing how to read music to arranging a Capella music and leading Cliffnotes.  I took opera workshops, hosted open mic nights, led the tenor section, ran the box office for concerts, traveled to Greece, and even stage managed for Jon Batiste.

The opportunities I had were endless.  But somewhere along the way I realized I really wanted to be a music teacher, like so many of my music ed friends and my mentor.  However, I didn't feel quite ready to change majors at the time.  I had just scratched the surface of this wonderful world and wanted to focus my craft before learning how to teach it.

After a long but fun year and a half working for a real estate company and occasionally playing professionally in NYC, I'm now a grad student at the University of Bridgeport with an internship at Seymour Middle School.  I never thought I would like working with middle schoolers, but I love it more than any job or any gig I've ever had.  Most of the faculty learned to teach through an internship program like mine so they're very understanding of what I am going through.   I'm also helping the chorus teacher explain basic vocal techniques to his students through imagery (hence the title of my blog)!  Working in an instrumental setting such as band or orchestra is a big weak spot of mine, but I'm determined to improve all areas of my craft.

Although i'm rather new to the profession, I'm starting to develop some core values and philosophies that will shape who I want to be as a teacher and how I want to teach.  First and foremost, EVERY STUDENT DESERVES A CHANCE TO CHASE THEIR DREAM.  Since I was such a late bloomer, I always initially tended to feel like I didn't belong; that I was behind my peers and needed to work twice as hard to prove that I belong.  Sure I had no shot at Berklee or Juliard, but so many amazing people gave me a chance to shine and I'm beyond thankful for every chance they've given me in the world of music.  I want to be the teacher that gives students the chance to chase their dreams and exceed their own expectations, whether or not those dreams include music.

Music ensembles are a lot like sports teams.  Both consist of groups of people who come together in hopes of achieving personal and collective goals over a period of time.  However, the cool thing about music ensembles is NOBODY SITS ON THE BENCH!  Every member is in the starting lineup and has an import role to play in the ensemble.  Since there's no benchwarmers, every member  needs to bring their absolute best to every rehearsal and every performance for the sake of the group. This includes everything from singing/playing with technique, understanding our parts, and treating the other members of the ensemble as family.  #ChoirIsFamily

My final core value for this blog post is I must NEVER STOP LEARNING, not only as a teacher but as a musician.  As a teacher it is my responsibility to the profession and my students that I am open and willing to further my professional development.  That includes everything from learning new teaching philosophies and strategies to keeping up with pop music trends in an effort to relate to my students.  As a musician, I'm still determined to expand my tenor repertoire and can't wait to get back into lessons.  I need to get better at piano and reading music.  I want to finally take guitar and bass lessons.  Simply put, I'm on a never ending quest to master all the facets of my musical craft.

If you're still reading, congratulations!  I totally get that I can be long-winded.  I can't wait to see where this chapter of my life takes me and I can't wait to share my experiences and class discussions on this blog.  To my classmates in Dr. Schneider's Secondary Methods course, we all belong in this profession.  We're all at different chapters in our own stories and we should embrace and celebrate where we are now and where we are going!