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MCC's first AFA grad featured at Tuesday recital
McCook Community College
McCOOK, Neb. -- On Tuesday McCook Community College's first "graduate" of the newly formed Associate of Fine Arts degree will give a piano recital.
Taylar Hegwood, Culbertson, who attended Victory Christian Academy, has completed the two-year degree in less than nine months and is excited for the possibilities this degree opens up for her.
She's also excited about Sunday's recital program which will showcase a variety of different styles and composers. She'll perform Classical and Romantic pieces as well as modern. She said she has pieces prepared from Beethoven, Grieg, Mendelson and Brahms to name a few.
Hegwood began taking classes in the fall of 2014 with an interest in early childhood education. At the start of this school year, Mid-Plains Community College became the first community college in the state to offer an Associate of Fine Arts degree. This new degree allows students like Taylar to select an emphasis in art, theater or music.
"I've always enjoyed working with younger children but I always loved music too and despite what seemed like a crazy four semesters of changing my mind, changing it back and changing it again -- it all seemed to gradually steer me to where I am supposed to be," she said.
She's excited that the classes she took in psychology and early childhood education have ended up meshing so well with this new degree offered by MCC.
"I've played piano since I was like 5 or 6 and when I looked at what I needed to be able to teach piano to younger students I realized I needed piano pedagogy training and that led to an intense scheduling of music classes," she said.
When she graduates in May, she'll have her A.F.A. She's right on track to pursue her interest in working with special needs students through music therapy.
"I'll have my associate's degree, all my classes are going to transfer and I'm going to be starting in the fall at the University of Nebraska-Kearney as a junior and I don't have any debt," she said.
She attended MCC on a full-ride academic scholarship and last month was notified by UNK that she has received a music scholarship and has applied for others. She was also recently honored as MCC's top student in the humanities division.
"Taylar is quite the exceptional student," Music Instructor Tiffany Gapp said. "Not only does her work exemplify her hard work ethic, but her demeanor in class every day is remarkable. No matter the events of the day, she always comes to class with a smile ready to accomplish the tasks set out for her."
"It has been unbelievably helpful for me to attend MCC, this is where I needed to be because I wasn't ready to go somewhere else," she said. "All the one-on-one conversations I had with my instructors, Tyler Esch and Loretta Hauxwell and Tiffany Gapp --- that's what led me to where I am," she said.
"From the advising sessions, to helping pick the right classes for the degree, helping overcome scheduling conflicts and even preparing me for scholarship auditions, I just don't think very many any other colleges would have gone that far for me," she said.
In addition to her class and music rehearsal schedule, Taylar works Daycare Monday through Friday and on Saturday works at Hillside Perk in Culbertson. She is also an active member of McCook Christian Church where she works with the junior high youth group.