Hannah Weller ’22
Grove City, Pennsylvania
When your parents are music education majors, you might just become a music education major yourself.
“I wouldn’t have wanted to grow up any other way,” said Hannah Weller ’22. “It’s a filter through which I live my life.”
Winner of the Kuhlman competition and the Presser Award while on campus, she recently began a master’s in clarinet performance at the University of North Texas, a premier music school.
“I want to spend some time on personal artistry. It’s important for music teachers to be performers,” she said. “I will learn more than anybody would ever want to know about clarinet.”
While studying for her master’s, she’s also teaching private clarinet and saxophone lessons at an independent school district.
She credits two special teachers with guiding her Messiah journey: adjunct Stephanie Cramer and Tim Dixon, professor of music.
After her first solo performance, Weller found herself rattled and not having a good time. She was also stressed about auditioning for graduate schools. Cramer helped Weller with the stage fright.
“She said, first of all, it’s completely normal to feel this way. She helped me dig into the science of nervousness,” explained Weller. “These are things I can do to counteract that. Breathing exercises, grounding, the power pose. She also said you need to step out in faith. That’s something I carried with me during the rest of my auditions.”
She also received a lot of practical advice from Dixon along the way when figuring out next steps for graduate school.
“He said the path is between you and God. His advice was very empowering,” she said. “They’re both such godly, faithful people. They continue to be wonderful to me. I look forward to being their colleague.”
The respect is mutual.
“She is a walking advertisement for a Messiah University education–talented, hard-working, conscientious and kind,” said Dixon. “She puts her whole heart and energy into everything she does and raises the bar for everyone in the room.”
Weller says Messiah University prepared her to be more than a music teacher, training her to be a Christian educator who can be an intentional professional in her field.
“The University of North Texas is one of the top music schools in the country. I’m daunted by that,” she said. “I wouldn’t be there if I had gone to any other university besides Messiah. I’m very grateful to be an alum.”
—Molly McKim ’23 and Anna Seip