Benton Chamber Of Commerce Inc issued the following announcement on Jan. 11.
Benton High School, is an optimist fueled by Gretchen Bennett, band and choir teacher at y compassion, creativity and the desire to inspire health and well-being through music. She believes there is more to music than learning notes on a page and more to teaching than imparting knowledge.
Gretchen’s passion for music took center stage from a very young age as she was surrounded by a family of talented musicians. Song filled the air and was a natural part of everyday life. Gretchen picked up piano at the early age of four. Within a few years she was also studying trombone, guitar, voice and drums. Eventually, bassoon, tuba and the list of new instruments continued.
Beginning her college career in sociology and psychology, Gretchen sought to improve the well-being of others. It wasn’t until a music appreciation course requirement to view a live performance that she had an epiphany. Just as she had been inspired and encouraged by music throughout her life, so could she inspire the well-being for others through their own music abilities. Music education was her destiny.
So it was that Gretchen would follow a legacy of music educators, including her great-grandmother, grandmother, aunt, and father. She completed her Bachelor Degree in Music Education from Southern Illinois University in May of 2005 and her Master’s Degree in Education from McKendree University in 2010 under the tutelage of many inspiring professors who taught her to conduct by connecting performers to the emotion in the music and making the music come alive for the audience.
Gretchen is currently in her 14th year of public music education. Her first seven years she taught at Ewing-Northern Grade School and began at Benton High School in 2012. Through marching band, concert band, jazz and rock band, choir and madrigals, musicals, color guard, drum line, and music exploration she incorporates students with a variety of skill levels, instrumentation, and individual goals. Gretchen believes in supporting students as they push their creativity in the direction of their choosing, whether it be composition or performance.
Her greatest achievements as a music educator include initiating new programs and opportunities such as the Veteran’s Day Celebration and the Bella Voche Advanced Choir at Ewing Elementary and hosting the annual band camp at Benton High School, designing new field shows, and fundraising to ensure every student can afford travel to summer music trips in New York City, Branson, Chicago, Gatlinburg and parades in Disney World. Both the Ewing and Benton music programs more than doubled in size under her guidance.
As a result of these opportunities, her chorus ranks in the top 10 at State Solo and Ensemble Contest. Her advanced choir was awarded Best of the Day in 2016 and has achieved a nearly perfect score every year since 2012. Each year many individuals qualify for the Quad State Vocal Festival and the Quad State Band Festival, and her students have been recognized at the state level through the Illinois Music Educators Association with All-State Choir and All-State Band honors. Many of her students have received college scholarships for music performance or are currently studying to become music educators themselves.
Gretchen’s hope is that her students learn that the power and talent they contain within themselves is all they need to reach for the stars and succeed in life. She cannot imagine life without teaching, without the opportunity to use music to positively impact people’s lives. Of her own success, Gretchen acknowledges that it would not be possible without the support of her loving husband, Mitchell Bennett, her parents, her in-laws, and her amazing children, Kaitlyn and Joshua Bennett. Much credit goes to her father, David Cozby, for volunteering countless hours to assist with the music program at Benton High School, to the faculty, staff, and administration for their continued support, and to her dear mentors Pam Kimball and Marla Harp. Gretchen could not commit to her students and the music program as she does without her family and her community.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Benton Chamber Of Commerce
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