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Shauna Scott
is in her third year at CSUMB. She is a HCOM (Human Communications)
major. She hails from Orange County and is a classically trained singer.
Shauna has been singing and performing since childhood.
Shauna began working with RUAP as an instructor for the choral workshops at the Boys and Girls Club in the city of Seaside one of RUAP’s community partners. |
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Steven
Russell, RUAP Community Liaison, interviewed Shauna Scott:
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| SR:
What initially made decide you wanted to work with RUAP in setting up
this choral workshop? SS: When I came to CSUMB, I wanted to be a music major, but they didn’t have one but I knew what I wanted to do musically, which was to have my own children’s choir, because I have been in children’s choir my whole life. I went to Dr. Bains (Amalia Mesa-Bains, RUAP Co-Director) and told him this is what I want to do, and how do I go about doing that and he set me up with Elizabeth (Elizabeth Ross, former RUAP Project Coordinator) and RUAP and that’s how that started. |
| SR:
How long have you studied music? SS: Since I was six… yeah that’s a long time (laughing). |
| SR:
So you were set up at the Boys and Girls Club during the planning. How
did that go for you? SS: Really well. I was hoping for twenty-five kids every week, and I ended up having only six, but they were really good kids. I felt like I bonded with most of them. |
| SR:
Did this choral workshop meet some of the initial expectations you had
going into it? SS: Yeah! It did. |
SR:
Tell me about your first session. SS:
My first session … oh my…was a little frustrating. I never have
done a children’s choir before. I did one once, but, it was at a
church where I knew the kids, and their parents were there, so it was
different compared to this one where the kids are just out of school.
They don’t have much structure and I didn’t know how to discipline
them. They were pretty rowdy and I didn’t want to come across, as
being to authoritative saying this is what we’re going to do this
is how we’re going to do it. I wanted to be very flexible and meet
them on their level. But I think they kind of ran me over (laughing)!
So I figured out how to lay down a little more authority. |
| SR:
Your site liaison was Kanani Brown. Did she give you adequate support? SS: Yeah Kanani was great! She was great. I would love for her to be there again. She was great. |
| SR:
What were some of the things that you learned in the process of doing
these workshops? SS: I learned that I don’t know everything about how to work with kids (laughing). I went in saying I know exactly what to do, but I don’t know exactly what to do. And that each kid is different and I have to meet those different needs on an individual basis of course I thought it was a group thing but it’s not. Each individual kid has his or her own thing, what they need; there is a lot of catering to that. |
| SR:
What were some of the things that you felt needed to be changed further
into the sessions? SS: I was afraid of the kids getting bored. So I tried each week really hard for them not to get bored, but I think at some point I they did so I think I need to change that. Find out how to make it maybe less boring when I am trying to teach one kid how to sing a part, so what do I do with the other kids who don’t sing that part. So what do they do while that other kid is learning that part. I think they get really restless so I need to learn how to change that, and change the music I guess. |
SR:
Can you share some of your triumphs with either the group as a whole or
individuals? SS:
I think that when they started singing they really didn’t want to,
and it was hard for me to get it out of them. Even when they performed
at the BGC, it was still like pulling teeth. But right before they performed
when we were practicing they sang their hearts out and it was really,
really good. It was so rewarding for me to think that they started with
a song they didn’t want to do and end up singing it really well.
Whether it was in front of the club or not, it doesn’t matter to
me because I saw them do it solid and I know they can do it. With a couple
of the kids we had a good relationship going there. |
| SR:
What are some of your ideas going into the fall? SS: I need to find some different music and bring it and let them pick what they want to do. What I also wanted to do was not only teach them how to sing songs but teach them more about music. I don’t think I really got to do that. In the future I do feel that is on my agenda. I haven’t forgotten about it (laughing). |
| SR:
What are some of your personal and professional goals for working with
RUAP? SS: (Laughing) Umm… |
| SR:
Well you wrote your first project description and built your first course
curriculum… SS: Yes, RUAP has helped me figure out what I needed to do. If I had gone in there by myself (BGC) I definitely would not have been as structured. It was good to get that structure through RUAP. The planning helps me figure out how the whole teaching process actually takes place. I am hoping to learn more about that. |
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