I was born in Minot, ND, and from there proceeded to grow up in 10 different communities. I was forever seeming to have to adjust to a new locality, school and circle of friends. My parents started me on piano lessons when I was five and the piano soon became my one friend that did not leave and my support system. I became quite good on the instrument, so that when we moved to a new community I began to be accepted much faster because somebody always needed a piano player, such as school choirs and churches. It seemed lika a natural progression to go from high school into college and become a music major, with a major on keyboard (classical organ and piano) and a minor in voice. After graduating from college, the University of North Dakota, in 1969, I married a wonderful man and moved to International Falls, had three children and never had to move again! I stayed at home raising the children and when our "baby" was to begin school a music job openned up in the Int'l Falls school district. It was a job as band director. Since then, five years ago, I switched over to vocal music and general music. I'm think that I'm the oldest gal in the cohort, maybe too old, but I searched my soul and felt that I wanted to strive for a master's degree before I retire. My husband and I have been paying for two of our children to go to the U of M for the past four years, and I felt I wanted to take alittle time, education and knowledge stimuli for myself. As for research areas that I would like to pursue, I am looking to question and, hopefully, answer some of the challenges that I have encountered during my 15 years of teaching music in the school. The ratio of males to females involved in music bother me. I have been challenged by how to go about motivating choral students to produce a quality unit when they come into the classroom saying that they just want to sing for fun. Why don't they accept a challenge of difficult music? Why don't they accept the challenge of a variety of music? Why don't they strive for quality? The Dr. William Glasser book, "The Quality School" , made me think that these questions were worth asking and researching. Is this a local characteristic, or is it wide spread? Music can be a friend, a sounding board, source of expression, a challenge and a life long skill.

-- Anonymous, January 12, 1999