Congratulations to one of our favorite volunteers, Paige Rauschuber, for receiving the Indiana Music Educators Association Outstanding Future Music Educator Award!
Paige, originally from Louisiana, has been involved in music since she picked up the saxophone in 4th grade. She fell in love with the instrument and practiced every day during recess. In 6th grade her family moved to Indiana and she became a part of Mr. Josh Weirich’s middle school concert band program. Mr. Weirich was also a saxophonist and would often play for the class.
After witnessing her director’s talent and enthusiasm to teach, Paige became inspired to become a music educator herself. Ten years later, Paige is only a few months shy of graduating with a degree in Music Education and plans to impact her students in a similar way.
The IMEA Outstanding Future Music Educator Award is given annually to a NAfME collegiate member who is nominated by a music instructor for his or her dedication to teaching and involvement in the organization. Paige has been an active member of Butler University’s NAfME Collegiate Chapter for four years and has served on the executive board for two. She was nominated for this award by one of her professors, and after filling out an application detailing her involvement with NAfME, her teaching experiences, and the other ways she’s given back to music, she was selected for the award.
“I’m incredibly humbled to have received this award and I owe it all to the fantastic music educators that I have had over the years, the teachers who have allowed me to work in their classrooms and have mentored me, as well as my incredible family who have always been extremely supportive of me and my dreams of one day being a music educator,” said Paige.
Paige started volunteering with Music for All during her Freshman year of college. She helped coordinate the Music for All National Festival and decided to come back to every other event we’ve hosted near Indianapolis ever since. During the summers she’s spent her time at the Music for All Summer Symposium as a part of the SWAG team, a group of counselors who make sure the camp runs smoothly and all the campers have positively life-changing experiences. In the fall Paige has helped out numerous times with our Indianapolis Super Regional Marching Championship and Grand National Championships.
“The best part of volunteering with Music for All is the people I have gotten to know and taking part in the wonderful experiences that MFA creates for its students,” said Paige. “My favorite memories have been when serving as part of the SWAG team because I remember how the SWAGs at camp impacted me when I attended Summer Symposium as a student and to know that I could have the same impact on someone else is an incredible feeling.”
Post-graduation Paige aspires to find a job teaching Elementary General Music. Some of her goals include instilling a love for music like her teachers did, helping them recognize their fullest potential and teaching them the job in pursuing music in life, as either a career or a hobby.
“There is so much that can be taught through music that extends beyond the four walls of a classroom. I learned so much through my music teachers over the years about leadership, how to treat others, and simply how to live a life that you can look back on and be proud of,” said Paige. “If I can do that for my students I will consider myself to be a successful teacher.”
We wish Paige the best in her future endeavors and hope that she continues to be a part of the MFA family.
“I have grown so much as a musician, educator, and person because of Music for All and can honestly say that I would not be who I am today had it not been for this organization.”
