The Ben Davis choir department has been active for many years now, and recently it got a new teacher. Sarah Miller has been teaching some of the school’s choir classes since the beginning of this semester. She co-teaches Purple Aires with Mr. Hughes and she spends the rest of her day teaching the Sotto-Voce, Encores, Preview, and Expressions choir. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview her and ask a few questions about choir and teaching at Ben Davis.

What got you into the music department?

 “I’ve always loved music and singing growing up, so, when I got into high school and I was thinking about what I wanted to do when I grow up, I wanted to be a veterinarian because I loved animals. But then a friend of mine told me she wanted to major in music and I really never thought of that as a possibility, so I went to IU, auditioned for the Jacobs School of Music, and got in. I started as a vocal performance major, then I switched to music education because I really have a passion for teaching.

Was it always your dream to teach music or was there something else you wanted to do?

 I originally wanted to be a veterinarian but music has always been my number one passion, I just really didn’t think of it as a career until a little later in life.

Do you have a favorite artist or someone that inspires you? 

My favorite probably right now would be Sara Bareilles, she’s wonderful.

How long have you been teaching choir? 

“This is my tenth year teaching, I stopped for a couple of years and got my master’s degree at Butler and now, I’m back at teaching high school. I taught for seven years at Bloomington North High School, then I taught for one year at Stony Brook Middle School and one year at Plainfield Middle School.”

How has it been teaching at Ben Davis so far?

 “I really like it, I love the kids, I love the atmosphere, my two coworkers, Mr. Hughes and Mr. Davis, are really awesome. I’m still getting acclimated but I really love it.

What is your favorite thing about choir or teaching at Ben Davis?

 “I like how passionate the kids are about singing and dancing and I love to see them use the choir space as a safe place where they can all get together and see their best friends and get together to create something awesome.”

What do you want the student body to know about you?

 “I want them to know that I’m a very caring and compassionate person and I am definitely a person that they can come to with anything if they have any issues or they just need somebody to talk to. I like to be that safe space for students.”