- Year: Senior
- Major/Minor: Music Education (Vocal Emphasis)
- Quirky Fact: I work at a cave during the breaks!
- Favorite Food/Drink to Get on Campus: Chai lattes
- Favorite Book/Movie/Podcast/TV Series: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Favorite Campus Event: Campus Lights
Q&A
Why did you choose Murray State?
The biggest reason I chose Murray State is because all of the professors and students I interacted with were super friendly and helpful on my campus visit. They seemed to really care about me and not just about enrollment numbers.
Why did you choose your major?
I knew that I wanted to teach at an early age. When I got to high school, I started thinking about what I wanted to do later on in life, and I decided on teaching. As for the music part, my family isn’t really all that musical, but my great-grandmother is, and she was a big inspiration. She plays piano almost entirely by ear and is quite good. When Granny played the piano, I would sing whatever she was playing. That snowballed from choir to lessons to a degree in music education.
Who have been your mentors?
My first two years here, I did research under Dr. Randall Black’s mentorship. We worked to develop a music therapy degree program for Murray State. He also gave me a lot of really good advice that got me through my first few years here.
Dr. Maribeth Crawford is my voice professor and has very much been a mentor in so many different ways. She’s always been so supportive and has always cheered me on.
Now, I do research under Dr. Bradley Almquist’s mentorship. He’s been a huge inspiration both in the choral music world and in academia.
Tell us about your work on the music therapy program.
I went to Dr. Black and told him that I was interested in researching music therapy and he said, “Great! We’re going to start a music therapy program here at Murray State!” and that’s how that started. I spent my first few years here doing a lot of the groundwork on what music therapy is, what a music therapy program needs to be, what other music therapy programs look like, and what ours would need to look like in order to get the proper accreditations. I gave a series of presentations to students, faculty, and staff — all the way up to the Provost.
Once I got so far in the research for the program, I needed access to things I could not get access to as an undergraduate student, so I handed off the program to an incredible team of faculty members, including Dr. Lucia Unrau, the chair of Department of Music. They took the program and ran with it. She played a huge role in getting all that together and filing all the proper paperwork.
I’m super grateful and thankful to everyone who helped. I think that the program will be really beneficial for the university and the entire community.
When will this program be implemented?
We are offering our first music therapy class, Introduction to Music Therapy, this semester. The rumor is that we will get the full program in the fall. I’m ecstatic!
What’s been your favorite piece or favorite show you’ve worked on while at Murray State?
I don’t know that I could pick a single piece, but “My Flight to Heaven” is a really great choral piece. “When I Was Single” had been my favorite solo piece, though it was emotionally taxing. Show-wise, I think the most fun I’ve had in a show was in Pirates of Penzance. I was a maiden in the chorus, and I had a blast in the show.
Tell us about any other accomplishments relating to your major.
I’m incredibly proud of my work on the music therapy program, of course, but I also tutor some elementary school students and high schoolers, and I teach music lessons as well. I think my students are probably my biggest accomplishment because it’s a really proud moment when they’re successfully on something we’ve been working really hard to learn. When my students are really proud of themselves, it’s a really proud teacher moment for me.
Currently, I’m doing research with Dr. Amquist on creating inclusive choral ensembles for students on the autism spectrum. I started it two semesters ago after the music therapy project. So far, it’s been a lot of reading, but I’m writing my thesis over it this semester, and I’m taking my research to Posters at the Capital in a couple months.
I’m also doing my senior recital this semester on April 11th. My recital and my thesis will be my biggest accomplishments, and the work I’ve already done is something I certainly am proud of.
What are your plans after graduation?
When I graduate, I will be certified to teach music to grades K-12. I don’t know that I have a preference yet. After working on the music therapy program, I think doing that could also really suit me. But, I really want to teach, and I can always switch careers if I have a mid-life crisis.
Really, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. I’ll have my life together one day, but today is not that day.
If you asked me on Day 1 of college what I wanted to be, I would have said a high school choir director, probably somewhere in Kentucky or the surrounding area. Now, I think maybe I could go on and get a doctorate or go abroad or never come back or teach small children. Who knows?
What advice would you give a new student at Murray State?
Dr. Black stopped me in the hall during the first week of my freshman year, probably sensing that I was on the edge of a breakdown or something, and said, “It’s okay to ask for help. It’s not a sign of failure; it’s a sign of maturity.” That is a quote I think about frequently, so my best advice would be exactly that. In other words, you shouldn’t be afraid to go for it and try new things and chase after your dreams. But don’t be afraid to say no when something isn’t a priority for you, because we are all human beings, and we have limited resources. Sleep is short.
“Natalie is one of the brightest, most erudite, and hardest working students I have ever encountered in my more than thirty years in Honors Education. I predict a bright future for her in academia, should she choose that path.”
-Dr. Randall Black
College of humanities and fine arts 