Photo By Lance Cpl. Kevin Lopez Herrera | U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Mardia A. Timoney, 6th Marine Corps District's Musician...... read more read more
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The Musician Enlistment Option Program provides an opportunity for a few good men and women to earn the title of United States Marine while pursuing their musical passion.
This recruiting effort brought the Marines of 6th Marine Corps District to the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, where the Georgia Music Educators Association Conference took place. GMEA's mission is "to promote the advancement of music education in the state of Georgia." This mission is carried out by providing continuing education and professional growth opportunities, as well as performance evaluations for individuals and ensembles to students at the elementary, middle and high school levels.
"The purpose of having the Marine Music Program attend the GMEA conference is to maintain direct relationships with music educators across the state of Georgia while creating an opportunity to meet new influencers, students and parents and inform them on how being a Marine Musician is a viable career opportunity," said Staff Sgt. Mardia A. Timoney, 6MCD Musician Technical Assistant. "Our close relationship with the event staff and members of the GMEA board of directors allows our program to further enhance music education at multiple levels of instruction while increasing our brand awareness."
The Marines were given the opportunity to participate in this event and showed their support. They manned a booth and interacted with the upcoming guests, answering questions specific to MEOP, discussing enlisted opportunities and ROTC scholarship, as well as sharing their anecdotes as Marines and musicians in the Marine Corps.
"Marine Musicians continuously find opportunities to support Georgia musicians through private instruction, instrument specific master classes and full-band clinics," said Timoney. "Especially during these past two years, our program has adapted to provide outreach through virtual platforms to create materials used to further explain the curriculum being delivered in schools." One of GMEA's attendees was Jake Maine, a saxophone player finishing his undergraduate degree in music education and a MEOP candidate.
"I have a passion for both teaching and music, and the MEOP program will provide many great opportunities for growth, musically and professionally, which will make me a well-rounded [music] educator and individual," said Maine. "I have always looked up to the Marine Corps musicians as a model of excellence, so the opportunity to be one myself is exciting."
Maine also said that he was strongly encouraged by his teachers and peers to attend GMEA this semester for the chance to network with other educators in the state and learn some new strategies to be a more impactful educator.
The Marines also took the opportunity to talk about Educators Workshop, which is a week long, all-expenses-paid trip for educators and influencers to visit Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. There, they get a glimpse of some of the many events their students go through, from stepping on the yellow foot prints to witnessing a Marine Corps Recruit Training graduation ceremony.
The state-level event brought in guests from different walks of life, backgrounds and education levels, who share the same love for music; students, families, amateurs, professionals as well as educators at the school and college level. Prior service Marines and family members showed their support.
"One of our goals is to build strong and young leaders through the vehicle of musicianship," said Timoney. "While we do understand that not every young student aspires to become a professional musician or educator, many will strive to be leaders in their communities. Music creates a culture in which servant leadership is expected and cultivated from an early stage in their careers."
For more information on how to become a Marine Musician, visit https://rmi.marines.com/6MCD. For high school educators who wish to take part in the Educators Workshop experience, visit https://www.mcrc.marines.mil/Outreach/Workshop-Home/ or contact your local Marine recruiter.
| Date Taken: | 01.28.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.16.2022 16:49 |
| Story ID: | 416533 |
| Location: | ATHENS, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 73 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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