Building Our ASTA Student Chapter at Wichita State University
by Hannah Copeland, Wichita State University ASTA President
[accepted August 1st, 2023]
My name is Hannah Copeland, and I am a future string music educator. I am currently going into my third year at Wichita State University double majoring in Instrumental Music Education and Violin Performance. My college experience has become something truly wonderful as I come upon my second year serving as the president and founder of the WSU American String Teacher Association.
At the beginning of last school year, fall 2022, I had no idea I would take part in building an ASTA chapter at the Wichita State University School of Music. The idea was spurred on by discussions held at the first Collegiate NAfME meeting of the year. As strings chair, I was encouraged to begin a WSU Student ASTA chapter. The last time our school had a chapter was in the mid-2000s, but it remained inactive despite efforts to reignite it. The first step to becoming a chapter was to obtain officers, an advisor, and members. These steps, thankfully, were a breeze as my colleagues and our faculty are highly motivated and excited about developing our school’s strings community.
Our next call to action was receiving official organization recognition by WSU’s Student Government Association. This took a lot of preparation! After persistent communication, preparing documents, and presenting to various committees as well as the Student Senate, we finally received recognition after about two months of the process.
In the meanwhile, our chapter had several great meetings and events! Some notable highlights last year included our Berlin Philharmonic watch party, a great session with guest speaker Quinn Lake about building a private studio, Kansas Intercollegiate Orchestra, attending the ASTA National Conference, and hosting an end-of-the-year celebration for our ASTA chapter and WSU symphony orchestra members.
Next year, our chapter plans to have even more guest speakers, events, and meetings. The National Conference was especially inspiring for us! My goal is to have as many members go as possible because the experience has proved to be truly invaluable for young aspiring music educators. Stay updated on our journey by following our Instagram page @wichitastateasta or our Facebook page @Wichita State University American String Teachers Association! We would love to have you along for the ride.
This ASTA chapter has truly been one of the highlights of my year and I am so happy to see it flourish alongside my colleagues. A big thank you to all the wonderful officers, members, and teachers that made this happen with their participation and support. I cannot wait to see what else is in store for this chapter for years to come!
