Welcome to my page! My name is Ayrika, and I am a vocals student at the University of Western Ontario. Ever since I was a young girl, I wanted to pursue a career in music. After doing many performances, winning several awards, participating multiple competitions, writing songs and creating my own album and even constructing, organizing and taking part in my very own showcase, music seemed to be the right path for me. Who knew that it would lead me to music education? I feel that educating youth in music is so important, music has changed my life and I want to educate others so that they can have an opportunity to have their lives changed as well.
testimonial
I didn’t always want to be a teacher. In fact, teaching was my last career choice; I always had negative experiences with teachers in the past, so that ultimately turned me off from becoming an educator completely. When I was six, I wanted to become a veterinarian. When I was 11, I wanted to become a famous pop star, and when I was sixteen, I had my life set on becoming a nurse. I invested my life into nursing; I participated in a Co-Op placement at my local hospital through my high school, as well as volunteering at the hospital on the weekends. I took biology, chemistry, and got my hands on anything that could help me become the best nurse that I could be, but suddenly in my last year of secondary school, I had an unexpected turn in my academic career, and my life. I somehow forgot to mention that music has ALWAYS been a part of my life- in fact, it was and still is the very oxygen that I breathe. People would sometimes call me “gifted” (a word that I dislike being called), because I have perfect pitch, and I can play just about anything if I listen to it once or twice. I am self-taught which means I know basic theory but somehow am able to understand musical pieces and compose my own music by memory, I write my own music and don’t have enough hands to count the amount of times that I have performed. All of my “giftedness” was enough for people to notice and advise me to apply to a special, one of its kind art program at my former high school called “Integrated Arts”. The program’s name was quite literal; the arts (media, visual, music, dance, drama and more), integrated into one classroom. Dozens applied, 28 got accepted, and I was one of them. Just a handful of days before Integrated started, I was having last minute thoughts which had a lot to do with what I was going to do for the rest of my life. Would I be sacrificing nursing for this program? Is nursing something I want to do? Is music something I really want to do? After a few hours of chatting with a guidance councillor and my mother, something dawned on me- I wasn't happy with my schooling. I struggled in the sciences and that reflected on my personal life. I was in constant distress because of school, but music was my escape. After having that epiphany moment, I decided to give Integrated a try. I can honestly tell you that choosing to stay in Integrated was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. From being in this program, I learned to discover myself as a student and even more as an individual. I was able to inherit new ways of managing my time and studying, while having the freedom to create and learn music the way I wanted to; without rules, without judgement, and with passion. I learned to love my teachers. The two phenomenal educators who ran this course were nothing short of inspiring; these two people were not only professionals, but they were friends, councillors, second parents, artistic geniuses, and a safe haven all in one. Those two teachers from Integrated Arts inspired me to study music and English for my future teaching career. My ultimate dream is to become an English and Music teacher and recreate Integrated Arts in another high school setting. I know that it is crucial to support students by acknowledging their artistic and creative ideas and to give them the tools and opportunity to make their visions and dreams come to life. That’s what Integrated did for me, and that’s what I want to do for other students who have a passion for art and creativity like I do.