Q: What is your most memorable part of being at West?

A: I have too many great memories to choose just one, but all of them include watching my students be successful in and out of the music classroom!

Q: How many years have you worked at West and what all have you taught?

A: I have been at West for 10 years.  The last six years I have been the director for the West High Chorale and West Connection, but I have also directed Concert Choir, Women’s Choir, and This Just In!.  I have also been involved with the musical every year I have worked here.  I music directed nine of them and had a small role in the other.  I also teach music theory and I was a model teacher.

Q: Do you have any advice for students that want to get involved with the music program?

A: It’s never too late to get involved in choir!  Anyone can sing, you just have to work hard and be open to constructive criticism.

Q: Where is your next teaching job and what will you teach?

A: I am actually leaving the education field.

*Finley will be moving to New York to pursue a career in sales.

Q: What was the best and worst part of being a high school teacher?

A: The best part of being a teacher is getting to know my students and their families over the years. Some families have had three or four students go through the choral program while I’ve been here, so I’ve known some families for almost a decade!  It’s great getting to see them leave high school to pursue their passions and achieve great things.

Q: What was the best show you’ve directed for show choir at West?

A: I can’t really choose just one.  Every group is so different each year. We (our choreographer and I) try to choose a theme and music that fits the groups’ personality.  This year, we chose the show we did because most of West Connection is heavily involved in theatre, so we wanted a show where they could really delve into creating characters and tell a story to the audience.

Q: What college did you attend? Did you believe you were going into the music department or some other profession?

A: I attended Southeastern Community College for two years and received an Associate of Arts degree in 2005.  I then transferred to Luther College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2007, majoring in music with a minor in K-12 music education. I entered college unsure of what I definitely wanted to major in, trying to choose between graphic design, marketing, music, and theatre (or some combination of a few of them). I ended up choosing a major in music at the end of my freshman year. The education emphasis came as I took classes and decided that was the career path that suited me at that time.