Post #1: Introductions

Hello! Welcome to my blog. My name is Christine Chen-Smith, and I am currently a graduate student at the University of Arkansas studying for my Masters of Music in Music Education degree. I was an active member of the school band program through middle school and high school, which eventually led me to pursue a career in music education. I received my Bachelor's degree in music education from Wheaton College (IL) in 2015, followed by a year and a half of substitute teaching in the Western Chicago suburbs. My first full-time teaching job was teaching general music, band and choir at two private K-8 schools in the South Chicago suburbs.

Besides being a student, I also serve as a graduate assistant for the Razorback Marching Band as well as teaching woodwind method courses for undergraduate students. I am currently working on a band arrangement as my capstone project. My hope is that the band arrangement will eventually be published and enrich the repertoire of high school bands all over the country.

This blog will serve as a place of reflection and communication about my studies at the University of Arkansas, especially ones that pertain to the Designing Educational Media course. Even though this course is not required for my degree, I chose to take this course to broaden my knowledge of educational technology and to enhance my teaching abilities. In this blog, I will be providing my thoughts, opinions, commentaries and resources regarding educational technology and many other subjects.