“I have long felt God’s calling to serve others both in music and mentoring,” said Joshua Smith, who completed his Master of Music online at Messiah University from Connecticut. “This has led me to being a conductor, one who serves an ensemble and guides others toward success in their artistic performance.”
Despite residing in another state, Joshua said that Messiah University’s uncompromising curriculum in conducting and musical studies within a Christian context is what drew him to the program.
Additionally, he was able to remain at a former position during his course of study. Although this was not a deal breaker for him, not having to leave his job and move his family did become a deciding factor in choosing Messiah to pursue his master’s degree. “The ability to work in the field while studying was an invaluable experience,” said Joshua. “I felt that everything I learned was immediately applied.”
Even though he, the staff and fellow students were geographically separated from one another, Joshua said that the nature of the courses created a community online. “My colleagues and peers were from all over the country and had incredibly different experiences or expertise than my own.” He said. “It created an invigorating learning environment where frequently I was learning as much from them as the faculty. My relationships with other students turned into long-lasting friendships.”
Since earning his master’s degree at Messiah, Joshua has able been able to secure positions teaching in higher education and has been accepted into a doctoral program for music at a tier-1 research university.