PTO Spotlight with Driscoll Music Teacher, Vale Southard!Q: How long have you been at Driscoll? Tell us what you did before coming to Driscoll.A: This is my 4th year at Driscoll. I started here in 2013 part-time, while working at 2 other schools in Brookline. Last year was my first year full-time teaching just here, and I love it! Right before coming to Driscoll I was a long-term substitute music teacher in Newton, and before that I was in college at University of Miami Frost School of Music, getting my music education degree.Q: Tell us how you became interested in music education.A: Music has always been a huge part of my life. My parents are very musical, as well as my brothers, (one of them is a professional pianist and composer) so music was always a huge priority for our family. I grew up playing piano, clarinet, and singing, and when I started to think about what I wanted to do as a career, I knew it had to be related to music. I actually went to college intending to be a music therapy major, but after taking a few classes, I realized it wasn't the right fit for me. I realized that I wanted to share my love for music with others, and music education seemed to be the best way to do that.Q: What is your favorite part of the teaching day? What is most important to you as you spend your days with children?A: That's such a hard question! I see many different classes in a day, so I would say my favorite part of the day is getting to see so many different students. I teach almost everyone in the school, and I think that's really special. What's most important to me is that my students come away from my class loving music. That doesn't necessarily mean they'll grow up to be a professional musician, but music can and should be an important part of all of our lives. When a student comes into my class really excited, telling me that they sang one of our songs at home, or they looked up and rewatched a performance we watched in class, that's when I feel most fulfilled as a teacher.Q: Fun Fact! What's something we should know about you that we don't?A: I once sang back-up on an album with the Latin American artist Juanes, and then the album won the Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album!