Shana Hiser

Shana Hiser is a student in the Music Education Program at SVSU. She plays the horn. Shana’s ultimate career goal is to teach Music to students, anywhere from kindergarten through 12th grade; she wants to teach a little bit of everything. “The great thing about the Music Education Program is that, by completing the program, you have a teaching degree for K-12 and you do not have to major in Education, it is its own separate program here.”

When Shana decided to continue her education after high school, Saginaw Valley was not in her top choices. “I visited numerous colleges and wasn’t even considering SVSU. However, when I visited SVSU, I immediately fell in love with it. I love the small size of the campus and the atmosphere was incomparable. I met with some of the Music faculty and my first impression was that they were great. The university was small enough for me to know a lot of people, but not everyone. I loved that I could be anywhere within five minutes because the campus is small. The fact that the overall feeling was more personal than any other university was why I chose SVSU.”

Shana was unable to choose just one Music faculty member that was most influential to her. “I enjoy all of my professors; they are all really great. They are informative, friendly, and always willing to help. They truly care about the student and the student’s success.”

The Professional Methods Courses (Elementary, Middle School, and Secondary) taught by Dr. Peretz were the classes that have been most helpful to Shana. “The classes have prepared me very well for any area I decide to teach in when the time comes.”

Not only is Shana a successful student, she is also a drum major for the Marching Band. “It is a different experience that provides me with more opportunities than just the regular classroom work. Plus, I work with different sections each day which provides me with a welcomed change of pace.”

A recent addition to the Music Education Program is the Ambassadors of Music Program; this is strictly for Music Education majors. Shana has had the opportunity to participate in this program and she loves it. “We go around to different schools in the area (within two hours from the university) and we perform for students as well as teach them such things as sectionals. We mostly visit high schools and sometimes 8th grade. It has been an awesome hands-on experience and we get paid for it, which is an added bonus.”

“One of the great things about SVSU is the one-on-one experiences you get with the professors. Here, you are not just a number; you are a person that the faculty know by name. Despite the fact that we are a smaller university, there are still many opportunities for students here. For example, I was given the chance to perform with the National Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall. I was really lucky to be able to do this and I really owe it to the hard work the faculty put into helping students. The faculty work just as hard as the students to make sure the students are doing their absolute best. They help you individually and really know who you are; you can’t get that at a big university.”