By Jennifer Theurer

Two recent Clay Center Community High School graduates are composing bright futures in music education at Kansas State University.  Tegan Stratton is a senior who will be student teaching this spring and Elizabeth Larson is a freshman just finding her footing.

Stratton is co-principal chair flutist in the Wind Symphony and plays tuba in the marching band.

“For our music education degree, we’re required to have two years of marching band which wasn’t a problem because I wanted to be in it,” she said.

She had played the flute since fifth grade and decided she wanted to try something different when she got to college. She jumped into the experience with only a couple of tuba lessons under her belt.

“I was just surrounded by people who were super loving and caring and just willing to teach,” she said. “[Marching band] taught me that I needed to learn how to adapt quickly and I needed to learn how to succeed at different instruments.”

She credits the experience with helping her become a leader as she is serving as a head section leader this year and was a marching and maneuvering section leader last year.

“When you’re head, you get to direct your other colleagues that are section leaders and help guide them in ways to lead their peers,” Stratton said. “I never thought I would get to this position, but I could not be more grateful for what it’s taught me.”

Stratton’s growth and learning continued as she started the audition process for her chair position in the Wind Symphony. That process included mastering skills she first learned in fifth grade.

“Music education takes a whole lot of time,” she said. “It doesn’t always look like it will on paper but merely due to the practicing hours that you need and the ensembles that you just need to be a part of in order to become qualified enough to go out and be the best educator you can.”

Being an educator was freshman Elizabeth Larson’s goal when she started at K-State majoring in elementary education with a music minor. Her time in the music building making friends, taking flute lessons, and participating in the flute ensemble and Wind Symphony, convinced her that music education might be a better fit.

“I’m switching to music ed for next semester,” said the multi-faceted musician who also plays bass guitar, piano, and ukulele. In addition to her work with the K-State music program, she helps with the music at her church and looks forward to giving her future students the gift of music.

“It was really important for me growing up,” Larson said. “I just felt like I could use my love of music to give to kids someday too.”