A Golden Summer

An aspiring music teacher previews her chosen career at a summer institute.

Emma Germann ’22 is spending the summer preparing for a career she’s passionate about: teaching music to children in high-need schools.

A Golden Apple Scholar, Germann will develop and refine her teaching skills during a four-week stint at the Golden Apple Scholar Institute in Naperville, learning best practices in education.

“I’ll be in the local schools, observing teachers and working one on one with students,” says Germann, a music education major from Watseka, Illinois. “It’s a great opportunity to get to know the needs of the schools I’ll be teaching in after I graduate.”

The summer institute is just one facet of her scholarship. Sponsored by the Golden Apple Foundation, the award provides tuition, academic support and job placement services to future teachers in exchange for a commitment to teach in an Illinois school of need after graduation.

“Music is incredibly important for kids’ brain development, and it’s a great emotional outlet. If I can help kids who might be struggling by introducing them to music, that’ll make me very happy.”

—Emma Germann ’22

Germann knew from an early age that she wanted to teach. “My mom has always taught in high-need schools, and I basically grew up in her classroom,” she says. “I’ve seen firsthand that teaching is a great career for people who want to make an impact on students’ lives.”

As a saxophonist with the University’s Symphonic Band and Jazz Lab Band, she also has a passion for music. “Music education felt like a natural fit for me—it combines two things that I love, and gives me the opportunity to share what was really important in my own life,” she says.

This summer’s institute won’t be Germann’s first teaching experience. In January, she spent two weeks in Jamaica, teaching music to schoolchildren as part of a course led by Professor Emerita Judy Grimes. And later this summer, she’ll teach in Cape Town, South Africa, as part of an Elmhurst course, South Africa: Service and Interdisciplinary Study.

“I’m excited to have an international teaching experience so early in my career,” Germann says. “It’s about widening my horizons and preparing to teach diverse students from different communities.”

Learn More About Elmhurst’s Programs in Education

Posted June 7, 2019