WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.000
My name is Jennifer Kercher. I majored in music at Western Oregon University. 

00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:06.000
I've been involved in music my entire life. 

00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:11.000
I started taking piano lessons at the age of six and was in choir and band 

00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:13.000
in high school and it was the obvious choice for me. 

00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:17.000
Today, I'm a middle school choir teacher at Walker Middle School in Salem-Keizer.

00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:22.000
So I teach choir. I teach piano. I teach 6th grade wheel

00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:25.000
which includes digital music and ukulele.

00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:28.000
We have a number of concerts throughout the year. 

00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:40.000
My favorite part of this job is that I get to help these kids become good humans.

00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:44.000
And I'm lucky enough to get to do that through music. 

00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:46.000
I think my career success is due to the opportunities that 

00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:50.000
my faculty and staff at Western gave to me. 

00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:52.000
We travelled all over the country with our music.

00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:57.000
If we wanted to be a director, we were given

00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:57.000
the opportunity to direct our peers.

00:00:57.000 --> 00:00:60.000
If we wanted to compose, we were able to compose 

00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:02.000
music that our peers performed for us. 

00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:12.000
I would absolutely recommend Western Oregon

00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:13.000
because of the small class sizes,

00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:17.000
because of the attention you get from every

00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:17.000
single staff and faculty. 

00:01:17.000 --> 00:01:20.000
I think my favorite memory from Western 

00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:24.000
was traveling to New York with Dr. Solveig Holmquist.

00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:28.000
And seeing that whole city and performing in Carnegie Hall

00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:31.000
with some of my best friends. That was a memory I will never forget.  

00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:34.000
I've had people say to me why did you major in music?

00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:37.000
Why didn't you major in business or computer science?

00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:40.000
And I just say that I followed my passion and it has led me well. 

00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:45.000
music