The Department of Music at Eastern Connecticut State University highlighted alumna Emily Kennedy ‘21 at a recent afternoon music colloquium hour. Kennedy, who is an elementary band director, spoke to music students about her career path in music education.

Kennedy engaged seminar attendees in an activity she uses to promote productivity in her students: tossing around a beach ball and answering whatever question is prompted by the number the receiver’s index finger lands on, asking questions such as, “What do you often procrastinate on?”  

After graduating from Eastern, Kennedy continued her academic career at the University of Bridgeport, where she earned a master’s degree in music education in 2022. While her classes operated on a post-COVID hybrid system, Bridgeport helped her expand her hands-on experience through internships, notably at Highland Elementary in Cheshire. While taking online summer classes, Kennedy also interned at Camp Sloper in Southington. According to her, this helped narrow down which age group she wanted to teach, in between “cutthroat games of gaga ball.” 

Kennedy student-taught in Cheshire public schools for 14 weeks, while she also attended a seminar and connected with other teachers. 

“Bridgeport is really good about grouping you with people who are experiencing similar issues with their students as you. My cohort was a group of about 15 people with all different levels of experience.”  

While teaching elementary and secondary students in a variety of classes, Kennedy learned to analyze an individual student’s learning style. She explained that connecting with a student and observing their academic competency in many subjects helps narrow their strengths and teaches them to apply their skills to a specific subject. 

“All things are a good experience because you’re seeing different students do different things in different settings,” said Kennedy. “The student that may not do well in a traditional sit-down learning environment, you see them in a music class when they’re doing something and then you can really connect with them. That way you can find out how to connect with that student in a general learning environment.” 

After passing her Education Teacher Placement Assessment, commonly known as EdTPA, Kennedy was certified and currently teaches fifth- and sixth-grade band in Cheshire public schools, with approximately 180 students in Norton and Doolittle elementary schools. She emphasized the importance of creating a friendly environment for students to experiment in. She encourages her students to try every instrument, the most popular ones being the cello and the trombone. Each school also has an annual concert, and she and her students have also marched at the Big E multi-state fair. 

“You have to be flexible,” said Kennedy, referring to the cheerful yet unpredictable nature of her work. “Pivoting is the biggest part of teaching, and it's okay to prioritize some tasks over others.” 

She concluded: “If you come into your job every day and your kids add even a little bit of happiness to your work, you’re doing your job right.”