04/04/08

Christy Taylor always enjoyed music as a child. Music was her favorite class in elementary school, and she participated in honor choirs.

So, when the decision to join band in fifth grade came along, it was a no-brainer. She chose to play the saxophone, and 11 years later, she continues to play.

“I just always thought it sounded cool,” Taylor said. “It was either that or clarinet, and there were a lot of people that already played clarinet, so I just decided to play saxophone.”

Taylor, a senior, is a music education major with saxophone as her primary study. She’s finishing up her fourth year at Baker University but gearing up for her fifth. Obtaining a music education degree in less than five years is no easy task, but inspiration led Taylor down the path of teaching.

“I was inspired by my music teachers growing up,” she said. “They were people that I really like, and I wanted to be one of those people.”

Taylor has been involved in many musical activities since coming to Baker. She played bass for about a year and a half with the orchestra and is currently in the percussion ensemble and choir. She also plays in Symphonic Winds, Jazz Band, Sax Quartet and was the drum major in the Wildcat Pride Marching Band.

Taylor, who still isn’t exactly sure if she wants to teach, had changed feelings after attending Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan last summer.

“It was amazing. I learned so much about myself and little bit about teaching,” she said. “I really learned how it feels to work with kids, and it was a lot of fun.”

Associate Professor of Music J.D. Parr works at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp every summer and was excited when Taylor decided to be a counselor.

“She played in several ensembles when she was there, which I thought was quite impressive,” he said.

Parr also recognized the substantial progress that Taylor has made, especially over the past year and a half.

“She’s gotten much stronger as a musician. She came in from high school with quite a lot of potential, but in the last year or year and a half, she’s come on strong as a fine musician,” he said.

Senior Jessica Hermon, Taylor’s roommate and childhood friend, said music is what Taylor is all about.

“She’s very dedicated to music; it’s her passion,” Hermon said. “She has always had music on. She’d rather have it on than the TV.”

Although music takes up most of Taylor’s time, there is another activity that she especially enjoys.

“My dad and I started scuba diving about two years ago. We thought we’d try it and see if we’d like it, and we loved it, so we normally end up going about once or twice a year,” Taylor said.

Composing is another thing Taylor adds to her list in the area of music. She started taking composition lessons two semesters ago and will have one of her three songs, “Hydrants,” played at a forum this semester.

With all of the time Taylor spends in the music department, it’s no wonder she jokes about practically living in Owens Musical Arts Building. However, the family-like bond that members of the department share is irreplaceable.

“We tend to pull each other through. If someone is struggling with a class, we’ll help each other out as much as we can,” she said.

When thinking of being here another year, Taylor is not exactly thrilled. With many of her friends graduating this year, she said it’s hard, but the students and professors in the music department are definitely happy she’s staying.

“She’s got such a great sense of humor and a great attitude,” Parr said. “There’s a way about her that we all just enjoy having her around, and she’s a good student, very intelligent and a good musician.”