To Be or Not to Be of the Liberal Arts

When it comes to a liberal arts college, I only see positives. I found it interesting that math is considered an art, as well as astronomy. The way I understand the definition of liberal arts is that it is studying something that you learn by doing. Of course with music, we learn by practicing, whether it be our instruments or the lovely MacGamut, but with grammar/writing the only way to get better is by writing. In order to learn how to calculate equations, you have to actually practice the equations. I read that the classes in a liberal arts school are socratic. I looked up the definition, and found that socratic means that students learn from the questions that they ask, more than the teacher simply gives them the material. This means that there is an interaction between the student and the teacher. Personally, I believe this is a much more productive way of learning, because the professor understands what the students need extra help on.

I would definitely put a liberal arts education with professional pursuits. The work field seems to look more positively on someone with a degree from a liberal arts education, than someone that does not. A liberal arts education gives students a more hands on learning experience, so that when they enter the world as a professional, they not only know how to do their job, but they know that they can do their job. This not only gives the employee confidence in herself, it also gives the employer confidence in the employee.

The choices available at a liberal arts school, is what makes the college so great. The ability to take a course that is not necessarily related to your major, but is something that you are interested in, is very useful. If I was to choose a course that was not relevant to Music Education, I would may choose a course in American History, because I am interested in learning more about my country's past. I liberal arts school is interested in giving students the chance to explore anything and everything that they are interested in. As of right now, I'm content with remaining only a music major, but after taking a course in American History, I may want to minor in history. At a liberal arts school, you can literally be anything that you want to be. The opportunities and possibilities are endless.

At Convocation, I came to realize that we as students are in control of what we want to become. No one is telling us what to do, they're only telling us to do it. Every speaker encouraged us to go out and take hold of who we are and what we want to become. It is as if we have the world in the palm of our hand, and we can do with it whatever we will.