Distance Learning Helps A Young Musician Excel!

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By Melody Dornink

One of the exceptional benefits of pursuing a college education via CollegePlus! is the flexibility it affords students. Numerous students have been able to work full-time, pursue valuable internships, do some entrepreneurial work, or develop life skills and talents – while simultaneously earning a college degree. Evanee Terrall, a 24-year-old CollegePlus! music major, is among the standouts.

Starting Young

Evanee has been developing her musical skill since she was a young child, and in the midst of working toward her bachelor’s degree, Evanee was able to compete in the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist piano competition this year.

Life As A Ministry

Growing up, Evanee was home-schooled along with her four sisters and one brother, and she said she “learned a lot during that time through our curriculum’s emphasis on viewing life as ministry. In high school, I prayed a lot about what God had for me. Over time God had allowed me to develop my musical ability through training and ministry opportunities, and I felt that was something I should continue pursuing.”

Nontraditional Education

After high school, Evanee participated in a significant amount of advanced musical training, but not through a traditional college institution. She attended the International Academy of Music in Indianapolis, which offered unaccredited correspondence courses and intense one or two week classes. “I chose to take music classes there and have greatly appreciated the thorough musical grounding and Biblical perspective I got,” Evanee said. She took all the classes offered through IAM, and then spent some time at a local college to further develop her knowledge and experience.

Now or Never

By this time, Evanee realized she was well on her way to earning a degree, and said, “…I realized that, for me, I was at a point where getting a degree was a now or never choice. I decided on now.” She had heard of CollegePlus! over the years, and had been toying with the idea of enrolling. After realizing that she had about 2 ½ years of earned credits, Evanee finally signed up with CollegePlus!

Graduation in Sight!

Evanee plans on graduating in June 2010 with a B.A. in music. In the meantime, she has been taking piano lessons and participating in musical competitions. When Evanee started competing in local events, she was surprised and thrilled when she won her first event, but decided to not make winning her overriding goal.

For The Love of Music

“I realized it was much more enjoyable to perform because I loved performing and because I loved the music. From then on, every time I performed I purposefully focused on enjoying the music and the thrill of being able to communicate with an audience. If I won, that just added to the fun!”

State Champion

This year, Evanee participated in the Music Teachers National Association Young Artist competition for the first time. She prepared over 30 minutes of memorized music from two different periods of music (including baroque, classical, romantic, impressionistic, and contemporary). Evanee ended up winning the State Competition and advanced to Regionals. “I was very surprised after winning the state round… I had participated because I love performing, and although it did take a lot of work, I enjoyed having something more besides just studying and tests to work on.”

Flexibility is Key

Juggling music and college was a balancing act, but Evanee said, “I don’t really have a lot of tips [for other students] – I just let myself be flexible, and tried to make sure I was progressing in both my CLEP and performance goals.” Evanee did not advance to the National level of the competition, but she has no regrets concerning her performance.

Put Your Heart Into It

“If I was going to be part of the competition, I wanted to finish knowing that I had done my best. I didn’t want to look back thinking, ‘If only…’ So I put my heart into doing my best for the Lord, and left the rest up to Him. Whatever I do, I do for the Lord, and He deserves my best.”

The Future

As for her future goals, Evanee said, “For a number of years, it has been my desire to use my skills in a ministry setting… In the future, I would like to work with fellow believers and churches helping to encourage and train musicians. My advanced classical music training has made me very aware of some of the musical needs in churches, and it is my desire to use my training to be a blessing to other believers.”

you can Melody is a CollegePlus! English major and lives with her family in Minnesota. She is working on a Teaching English as a Second Language Certificate, hopes to travel overseas soon, and helps in construction and remodeling with her father.

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