Teacher puts faith, love into Indiana school's music program

NEW ALBANY, Ind. (AP) - She was called in on the spot for an interview completely off-guard. She was managing a group of kids in a water balloon fight when she got the call to come in, but she sat in her future boss's office with sweatpants and no makeup.

Aleshia Akin got the job that combines her passion, her faith and now her life love. At Christian Academy of Indiana, she's the band teacher. But she manages nine different bands. Her students have brought home multiple awards from the Indiana State School Music Association's solo and ensemble competitions over the years.

"I didn't intend to dive headfirst into a program that had to be built, but it's really kind of cool," Akin said. "This whole program is mine. While it's crazy, it's cool to watch them grow up and raise them through band."

Akin said the program started off small when she arrived six years ago. She was working on a Master's degree when she accepted the job. All the fifth-graders at the school take band courses, and from there, they take band as an elective.

In her first year, she said there were 35 students from grades six through 12. This year, she has 208 who kept coming back. Of the 240 students enrolled at the high school level, 85 of them take Akin's band classes.

"I have no clue (why we've seen this growth)," Akin said. "People say it's me, but I say it's not. It's like the perfect storm. Kids desire to be creative, they desire to display the gifts God gives them. I want them to be excellent, but I want them to love music."

She said she has a lot of help in the class, including Dixie Akers. She's a seasoned music educator and said she's been helping with the and for the last year and a half and is impressed with how much Akin has helped the program and her students grow.

"I've seen such huge growth just since we've been here," Akers said. "It's really been great to watch."

Akin said she doesn't feel like she can take the credit for the success of the program and her students, but the people she's surrounded by have made a huge difference in all of it.

"If it was just me and the nine bands, it wouldn't happen like this," Akin said. "There are so many other people who've helped this become what it is."

The band position has also had a central spot in her future. She had been dating Daniel Shouse for a long time when last year, at a Christmas show hosted by the band, he proposed to her. They're getting married on Oct. 8.

Akin said she feels like people search their entire lives to find something that's truly fulfilling in all aspects. She said being able to help students grow in music, but also in their faith as believers has been everything she could ask for.

"It kind of encapsulates everything about me and gives me the ability to do anything I want," Akin said. "I have nothing but support and complete trust from the people around me. It's nothing but a God thing, I didn't even ask for this position."

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Source: News and Tribune, http://bit.ly/2cy8Qjr

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Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com