News: Music Teacher Warns "No Automatic A's"

Good Day,
My name is Millie Rolfgren. I am head of the Music Dept. at Sunlit Falls Middle School. What I (over)hear time and time again from my students is that my classes are "an automatic A" or "an easy A." I am here to tell you that that is simply not the case. Just as Physical Education and English are seemingly "no-brainer" studies that proove to be "a royal pain-in-the-brain" for most students, my Music Education classes are similarly misleading. Listen to me: I work my butt off to challenge, delight, and oft-times inspire my kids through music. I work hard, as you must work hard. There are no "freebies" here, folks.

So, you might wonder, how do I grade my students? Well, it's fairly simple: make the effort and ye shall be rewarded in kind. For instance, I had a student several years back who refused to participate in sing-alongs. Do you know what I refused to give him? That's right, an A. He recieved a rather half-hearted C+. On the opposite end of the spectrum, an eager student once volunteered for every single activity offered to her. She was not gifted musically, however, but she tried like the dickens to overcome her God-withheld talent. That student's grade? A somewhat generous B-. She just didn't have "it."

In closing, I would like to remind all of you that Music is required for 6th and 7th graders, but becomes an elective for 8th and 9th graders. I encourage all you upper classmen to not choose Music out of the desire for good grades without the sweat, but choose Music because you either A) love Music; B) have talent; or C) need the credit.

Till we meet again, keep a melody in your heart!
-Mrs. Rolfgren