Ever since I have come Belmont I have had a new passion for volunteering. I believe it all started at SERVE during welcome week. SERVE is when the new freshmen class splits up into groups and volunteers for several hours all across the Nashville community. My group was sent to a children’s home. While volunteering there we did a lot of hard work such as cleaning the bathrooms, mopping the floors, and landscaping. I never really understood before coming to this school, why people gave up their time to volunteer in the community. Through the SERVE project though, I discovered why people choose to do it. I serve because I hope to make an impact on someone’s life. I know I am not going to be able to change the world, but volunteering will make the world a better place.
During a music assembly several weeks ago, a representative from the W.O. Smith Nashville Community Music School asked if anyone wanted to volunteer by teaching private instrumental lessons at the school. I quickly took the offer because I love teaching and playing with other musicians and I also want to get a music education degree. So every Saturday morning I wake up at 8:00 to teach saxophone lessons at the school. The W.O. Smith music school offers students private instrumental lessons for only 50 cents if they qualify for the program. I give half hour saxophone lessons to two 11 year old students, both of whom have never played the saxophone before. I really enjoy teaching them because they both really want to learn how to play. It takes a lot of patience and diligence because learning to play the saxophone takes time and hard work. Its definitely worth volunteering at the school because I am making an impact on someone’s life and I am gaining valuable experience teaching at the school.
I would challenge everyone to volunteer during college. You can really change a person’s life and you will learn from your experience as well. After a lesson one day, I had a student say to me, “I used to not like the saxophone, I wanted to play the tuba. Now I really like it, its my favorite instrument.” Comments and thoughts like this make it worth while to volunteer. I will definitely continue to volunteer here during my college years.