By MATT PIKE
Over the summer, a student from Northwest Missouri State University traveled to Capitol Hill to advocate for funding in music education, while also getting experience performing on stage.
A senior instrumental music education major from Bethany, Missouri, Maddie Fenimore participated in the National Association for Music Education leadership summit in Washington, D.C., in June. The annual gathering brought together association board members from every state, along with collegiate representatives.
“This created a pathway for her to broaden what she gets to experience beyond Maryville," Katy Strickland, a Northwest professor of music, says in a news release from the university. “She got to travel and spend time with current music educators, people who are in the classroom, but then also managed to find time to be active at the legislative level as well.”
Fenimore participated in advocacy training and studied specific legislation that the group pitched to Missouri representatives and senators. Fenimore says while the experience was, at times, nerve-wracking, she appreciated the opportunity to share her experience as a musician and student.
“I want to always continue the advocacy piece,” Fenimore says. “You can always advocate for music education, no matter where you are or no matter what you’re doing, and I want to continue teaching that in my classroom.”
The advocacy work also helped Fenimore gain a better understanding of Title funds, which are federal grants provided to public schools. Her career goal after graduating from Northwest in the spring is to teach music education at the collegiate level and train future music teachers.
“It definitely opened my eyes more to the fact that I need to pay attention to laws and bills about education funding,” she explains. “Not a lot of people know about Title funds, especially for music educators, and not enough people are taking advantage of them. I need to figure out a way to access them so that my students can have the best possible education.”
Fenimore also added to her performance and conducting experience with two different community bands during the summer. She played with Northwinds, a Kansas City-based ensemble made up largely of music educators that focuses on advanced repertoire. The Nodaway County Band, based in Maryville, brings together high schoolers and community musicians to play beginner-level pieces.
“As a music major, I’m looking for as much podium experience as possible, so I have the experience before I get in front of a group of kids and teach,” Fenimore says. “It’s not just waving a baton to keep time. I’m looking at the score, and I have to think about what mistakes are going to potentially be made and how I’m going to fix them before they even happen.”
This fall, Fenimore will take the Northwest stage for two senior music recitals, playing three different instruments. Fenimore will perform on flute and saxophone on November 7th. Five days later, she will perform a clarinet recital on November 12th. Fenimore also is part of the Bearcat Marching Band, the Northwest Wind Symphony, Concert Band, Jazz Ensemble, Flute Choir and the C5 clarinet quintet.
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