Civic Engagement Through Music

I was able to work with a group of my classmates to arrange the tune of "All Star" by Smash Mouth and perform it at the voting poll at JMU campus on election day. My group and I wanted to arrange a song that was familiar and engaging to the majority of the community at JMU. "All Star" was a good option because of the upbeat character of the song and we were able to easily change the lyrics to be relevant to the topic of voting and civil engagement. 
I really enjoyed this experience. It was nice to participate in a music making experience that was purely for the joy of sharing a positive message. It was less about perfecting the performance and more about what it meant. As a future teacher, I want to be able to show my students that there are alternative ways of engaging in music outside the classroom.