The Fourcast’s Business Manager Morgan Fisher asked Lower School music teacher Sabrina Kessee about receiving the Next Generation Music Professional Award.
Q: Tell us about your involvement in music and the arts throughout your life?
A: Outside of music in church, my mom would do some local things and I would sing with her, and I did choirs in elementary in middle school. I went to Booker T. Arts Magnet [Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts] and studied music there, then I got my music degree from Fiske University and University of North Texas. I’ve just done music ever since.
Q: When did you decide to start teaching music in the Lower School?
A: When there was a job available. I was at first a Kindergarten teacher, and I love to teach reading, and of course while teaching reading I added music to teach them how to spell. Then I got an opportunity to work with a school in Carrollton and through that I was introduced to Hockaday by working with the gospel choir in Upper School. While I was here, they had an opening in the lower school. I’ve been here for 15 years.
Q: Can you tell me about your experience with the Gospel Choir?
A: I love that it’s such a diverse group of people who love to make gospel music and have such a good time. We go to a lot of different places in town and out of town, of course. We went to ISAS and other festivals and we’ve been on TV. It’s been really fun. It’s a good time for girls to come together, it’s like their downtime but they feel uplifted too if they may be struggling with tests or papers. I love that they can come together and feel better.
Q: What was it like to receive the Next Generation Music Professional Award?
A: That was really cool. I knew that it was coming, I just didn’t realize it was such a big deal. When I was posted about on social media I thought that it was really neat. When I got the award they had these hall of fame people that got other awards, and these were people that I’ve looked up to since I was really little. So to be included in a line-up of people I watched as I grew up, I felt really honored and like I didn’t deserve to be there.
Q: What you say to young girls aspiring to have a career involved in music?
A: I would say to honor the love and the passion of music, and if that’s something you want to do, do it. I know a lot of times there’s the thought of ‘maybe I should be a doctor, maybe I should be a lawyer, maybe I should do something lucrative like that’ but if you love music or you love kids or helping people love music or learn music then follow that. I am a happy person because I love music and I do music,especially because I do it here.
Story and photo by Morgan Fisher, Business Manager
