{"id":2470,"date":"2019-12-06T20:13:58","date_gmt":"2019-12-07T04:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/etmonline.org\/los-angeles\/?post_type=news&p=2470"},"modified":"2026-03-26T11:06:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T18:06:36","slug":"spotlight-on-wil-music-teacher","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/etmonline.org\/los-angeles\/news\/spotlight-on-wil-music-teacher\/","title":{"rendered":"Wil, Music Teacher"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Noel, ETM-LA Volunteer<\/a><\/h3>
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Delia Orjuela, ETM-LA Board Member<\/a><\/h3>
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Baraka May, Champion<\/a><\/h3>
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Spotlight on Wil, Music Teacher\n\n<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cSometimes the fun and silly moments are the best\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Tell us about yourself \u2013 your background, where your musical inspiration comes from, and how you got into teaching?<\/strong><\/p>

I was basically immersed in music for my whole life.\u00a0\u00a0I hung around my father\u2019s marching band and drum corp rehearsals as well as my mother\u2019s choir events.\u00a0\u00a0Both of my parents were music educators, so music became a way of life in my family.\u00a0\u00a0From an early age I would always listen to soundtracks from my favorite movies such as\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Jurassic Park<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0I took piano, trumpet, and cello lessons up until I was in middle school.\u00a0\u00a0After a trip to NYC to see Paul McCartney at Madison Square Garden, I became interested in guitar and then focused solely on that through middle and high school.\u00a0\u00a0I started taking Jazz Guitar lessons and later decided to pursue a degree in Jazz Studies and Music Education from the University of Maryland.\u00a0\u00a0I played guitar for various theatre and local events and taught middle school band around the Washington, D.C. area before coming out to L.A. to pursue a Master\u2019s in Studio\/Jazz Guitar at USC.<\/p>

Have you ever had a music educator in your life that impacted you through their teaching? If so, could you tell us a little bit about them, and how they shaped your love for music?<\/strong><\/p>

The most influential music educators in my life were my parents.\u00a0\u00a0From an early age, they exposed me to everything they could.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I was always involved with my father\u2019s marching band until I was actually in it in high school, and went to my mother\u2019s musical productions and events.\u00a0\u00a0We would always take trips up to NYC to see musicals and concerts, which had a great impact on my life.\u00a0\u00a0However, I think the greatest impact they had on me was instilling the desire to achieve excellence, intensity, and purpose in my musical career. \u00a0I will forever be grateful for the connections and opportunities that they provided for me while I was growing up.<\/p>

What do you love about teaching?<\/strong><\/p>

I really enjoy building a community and rapport with the students.\u00a0\u00a0What I enjoy most is building a relationship with the students and getting to know them and their individual personalities.\u00a0\u00a0From there, I find ways to relate to them and make music important in their lives.<\/p>

What is the best part about working with ETM-LA?<\/strong><\/p>

I really love getting to know the students and experience the comradery that comes with making music with them!\u00a0 Sometimes the fun and silly moments are the best, but also the end result after all that time of hard work!<\/p>

Why do you think it\u2019s important to keep music programs in schools?<\/strong><\/p>

I think it\u2019s important to keep music in public schools because of the impact it has on the students.\u00a0\u00a0The skills they learn in music can translate to other sections of their life so that they can become more successful.\u00a0\u00a0Also, I think it helps students to become more well-rounded and educated, in addition to giving them an artistic outlet for them to enjoy for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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