Welcome to Season 2 of Work in Progress—a limited podcast series exploring the unique career journeys of Amherst College students. In today’s episode, Senior Marketing and Communications Intern for the Loeb Center Ava Zielinski ’25 chats with Daphne Theiler ’26 about the beauty of Amherst’s open curriculum, learning from peers within her majors, and exploring career possibilities in her field of interest.
Daphne is a Music and Education Studies double-major and is planning on completing a composition thesis in the Music department. She is also pursuing her teaching license through a program at Mount Holyoke College in the hopes to become a music teacher after Amherst. Beyond her studies, Daphne is a part of Amherst’s Cross Country and Track & Field Team, in the Glee Club and Concert Choir, and co-president of the Mammoth Maker Lab.
The transcription below has been edited for clarity.
Ava:
Welcome back to Work in Progress, the podcast where we’re talking about student experiences on Amherst campus and beyond. My name is Ava Zielinski and I’m the Loeb Center marketing and communications intern. And today, I had the joy of speaking with Daphne Theiler, who is a current junior here at Amherst, an education studies and music major. And we had a really wonderful talk today, learning about how to really delve into your passions here at Amherst and balance all of your interests and also all the different career possibilities that are beyond what you would really expect in each industry.
Okay. Hello, Daphne.
Daphne:
Hello, Ava.
Ava:
Welcome in. We’re really excited to have you here today.
Daphne:
Happy to be here.
Ava:
So, before we kind of dive into everything, I would love to hear your little elevator pitch about yourself. Tell the Amherst world and the Amherst community and everybody beyond who you are.
Daphne:
Great. My name’s Daphne Theiler. I’m a junior here. I am a music and education studies double major. I’m on the Cross Country and Track Team. It’s also a big part of me. I’m in the Glee club and Concert Choir. I love singing. I’m also co-president of the Mammoth Maker Lab and really love in my spare time making creative projects, using a 3D printer, all that kind of stuff.
Ava
Wow. That’s awesome. Okay, so there’s a lot to unpack here. That is so cool. I feel like every time I run into an Amherst person and I ask them, okay, so what do you do? And like, tell me about your life. And they just start rattling off a list of the most random, most wonderful things that they do with their time here. And then I start to understand why no one has any time here. Which is exactly how it works.
So when you first got to Amherst, were you expecting to be a part of all of these wonderful organizations that you were involved in, or was it kind of like a slow burn in terms of figuring out what you are excited about? Were you always prepared? Go into that.
Daphne
Yeah, definitely a slow burn. When I started, I was on the team since I got here, but I specifically did not join choir. My first semester, I thought, I’m going to just make sure classes go well. I want to see how college works first before I throw myself into everything. And by the time I got to second semester, I realized I missed it so much I am willing to put in that time to be part of it again.
So, second semester during choir and then by the end of that year, I kind of got thrown a little bit into this position, leading a club which felt strange as a Freshman going into Sophomore year and navigating the Hub, how to fund club budgets and all of these things where I felt I was still getting used to just how campus worked. But it ended up being a really great experience because I learned all those things and now feel, I feel got them down, but also just gave me just another outlet.
It’s nice to be able to if there is stress in choir, I can turn to that. If school’s getting hard, I can turn to singing. There’s also, I have a bunch of outlets, which I really appreciate.
Ava
Now, would you say when you first started at Amherst, you kind of came in on a little bit more of the conservative route in terms of trying to preserve your time? Would you suggest the same thing for students coming in here or would you suggest, you know what, honestly, if you’re this passionate about something, just go rip it?
Daphne
I think there’s actually a balance. I think that there’s this idea of Freshman year you got to join everything so that you can make friends and, you know, put yourself out there. And that’s there’s truth in that. You don’t want to just say no to everything and not actually get to meet people and experience campus and all of that. So I think if you’re really passionate about something or you’re super excited about it, I think totally throw yourself in. But also you don’t need to do everything just to do everything.
I think that’s a big thing I really like here is people do things because they genuinely are interested and that the time that they’re putting in is worth it.
Ava
Yeah, I mean, there’s just not enough time in the day here with all that we do, for you to do something that you’re not genuinely interested in. It’s too hard, it would become too much.
I heard something from a professor. It was like from somebody else’s first year seminar professor. I remember my first year that stuck with me so much and I think I’ve said it on this podcast before, but you have time for seven things. Four of those are your classes and then you pick the next three that you dedicate your most amount of time to.
And so some people, some people can deal with eight or nine, even some people can only deal with six. Maybe five. And understanding where you fall and having that good sort of self perception is going to help you so much in being able to pour your time into things that you’re really passionate about rather than spreading yourself too thin.
So that’s been something that stuck with me for so long. Can you do these extra things? We’re so inclined to say yes.
And I’m sure also in your position of I guess sort of assimilating to a leadership position so early in your college career that you had to learn also how to say no afterwards too.
I mean, sort of getting thrown into that position so early on. What were some of the biggest things that you learned about being a leader so early?
Daphne
Oh yeah. I think I was definitely worried about being, you know, younger and trying to teach someone something. Let’s say they’re a Senior, but they have no experience with the machine I’m teaching. I definitely had to get over that barrier of worrying about age and grade. I think in college, people have people have the thing that they’re good at and that’s okay that that crosses grades, crosses ages. I’m just interested in learning about it.
So I’ve kind of tried to adapt that mindset of if people are here, they’re interested in learning about what I’m teaching them and they don’t care about I’m a sophomore or whatever. At the time I was an underclassmen, but yeah, I think, yeah.
Ava
Do you think that’s influenced other ways that you kind of move through life, whether it be in what you’re studying or work opportunities that you’re pursuing and things like that as well?
Daphne
Yeah, I think that so in music major classes are generally pretty small. And many don’t have specific prerequisites, several do. But you can take a high level course without ever having taken a music course before, without meeting a specific base requirement, which leads to classes being a huge range of grades. And I think that also solidified slash maybe my club reinforced that that was good and helpful.
And okay, I’m in a level seminar right now that has Freshmen through Seniors. It’s really incredible. And it’s interesting to hear people who are at the end of their major journey, who are finishing theses, who have taken all of these classes before at Amherst and have that experience. And it’s also really interesting to hear from Freshmen who are bringing ideas from high school, from all over the country.
Yeah, I think I think that that’s something I didn’t know to expect slash didn’t know would be great.
Ava
Yeah, absolutely. It makes sense. So as an econ major, I went abroad for a semester and getting credit and stuff for going abroad within the major is very difficult. So I chose not to pursue taking any classes there. But for that reason I’m still finishing up the major right now and I have one requirement left and it’s elective class, like a level class and so I’m probably one of maybe four or five Seniors in the class.
And then I would say the majority of everyone else is either a second semester freshman or someone who’s in their sophomore year in the thick of the major. And it’s been so interesting to see the dynamics of, you know, the sort of eagerness that some of the younger students bring to the table and the ideas that they’re bringing versus sort of, I guess, the quiet confidence that a lot of the upperclassmen have.
And it’s really interesting to, you know, also, you know, having taken electives where there were seniors previously and I was someone who was younger and seeing them sort of imprint that sort of calmness into the major and into the class that I didn’t previously know was possible in such a difficult major. So it’s kind of seeing that exchange is so interesting.
And like you, you really can learn something from everybody no matter where they’re coming from or how much experience they have in the same exact topic.
Daphne
I like the calmness. I think that’s yeah, that’s definitely true. But I hadn’t thought of the word.
Ava
I mean, do you think that that’s kind of developed over time within your majors as well and within what you’ve been studying?
Daphne
I think so. I think that’s definitely come out in Education. I definitely front loaded more of Music and now trying to focus on that. So I think I don’t have quite as much experience there. But music definitely. I’ve seen that transition from like really both. Both are incredibly valuable in the classroom.
Ava
Now, did you always know that you wanted to be a Music and Education major or did you just come to Amherst and were like, you know what, it’s going to be divine timing, we’re going to see what happens and whatever speaks to me, we’re just going to roll with it. What was sort of your strategy?
Daphne
Yeah, I always knew I wanted to major in music or not always. From looking at colleges, I knew I wanted to major in music, and I found out that recently there had been an education studies major added and I thought that that’s up my alley too. I want to be a music teacher. I could do Education as well.
With music I knew, though, I never wanted to be in a place where music was my only academic pursuit. With conservatories or larger universities, you’re in the music school, so I take math classes and I really enjoy them. I’ve taken a physics class, you know, stuff like that. I wouldn’t be able to do that if I was at a conservatory or a university where I was just in the music at school.
So I did know I wanted to major in music and education, but I also knew I didn’t want those to be my only academic pursuits.
Ava
That absolutely makes sense. I think the open curriculum here has been so wonderful and it’s like something that I’ve noticed too is like even for example, myself being Econ, which is not something that I expected coming in here. I don’t know if I would have become an Econ major or I guess your typical business major in another school if that was the only outlet.
And like being able to take classes in other disciplines and also realizing for whatever reason, every time, you know, every semester kind of comes around, there are so many things that I’m learning in one class that directly applies to another class, like even two classes I’m currently in now, both are going to be working in archives. I’ve never worked in archives before and they’re both going to be working in them in completely different ways.
But the fact that there’s so much like good timing with it and a lot of the things that you learn are so, you know, interdisciplinary is so cool. It’s so cool.
And it’s so unique in that not a lot of students really get to experience that around the country. So that’s something I’m really grateful for about this place.
Daphne
Definitely. I feel like in everything about Amherst, there’s always the talk of open curriculum and it might feel like it’s overhyped, but I truly don’t think it is. I think it’s so important that everyone can take any class, any subject if you’re interested in it and I feel like last semester I had a combination of classes where I felt like I was like, ‘oh wait, I just talked about that in that class and we’re doing this similar project.’
It felt like everything was really connected which I think really enhances learning and allows it like having those connections you can bring in from other places, I think it’s really big.
Ava
Oh, for sure. Absolutely. Now, is there a favorite class so far that you’ve taken at Amherst in general, and is there one that’s kind of becoming a standout this particular semester?
Daphne
Oh, well, I think my standout this semester is going to be my favorite class that I’ve taken at Amherst.
I’m really loving it so far. So I mentioned my level music seminar. That’s music, I believe it’s called Virtual Realities of Romantic Music, which sounds like it’s VR but it’s not.
So the idea is romantic music is this era of music where music used to focus on religion and then it focused on just performance and you would just go to the music hall. And then romantic music transitioned into this era of what does what emotion, what emotion comes from music, what story is it telling? And there becomes a lot more meaning.
And so this class so far we listen to music and really deeply analyze it using music theories of chords, notes, rhythms, dynamics. We will really deeply analyze that. And then we come into class and we talk about its emotional meaning.
Does this harmony mean pain or joy? Or what does that motive mean in the context with these lyrics? So it’s really, really interesting to combine this really deep, really advanced musical theory that I’ve learned in other situations. It’s just something you write under the music with actual meaning that someone might take away from it.
Ava
Wow. That is so cool. Wow. Do you think also again that’s not something that you’re going to see in other places? That’s really specifically, especially Amherst. Do you think that that’s going to have an influence in the way that you think about becoming a music teacher in the future, no matter what age you might teach, etc.?
Daphne
Yeah, definitely. I think that this class also is really opening me up to musical writing and what we’re reading many high level music publications, criticism, analysis, etc. and then also trying our hand at writing that style. And I think that it’s really exposing me to different ways in which people view meaning in music.
Some believe that the composer meant something and you’re supposed to look for that. And some believe you shouldn’t think about that at all. And so I think those those are all opinions and ideas that I’m being exposed to that I can then create my own opinions on and take it into my teaching at any level.
Ava
Now switching gears just a little bit and again the idea of becoming a music teacher and that’s something, you know, that you’ve been really interested in for for a little while now. How do you think that passion came about and what have you done to kind of help sort of sow the seeds of getting into something like that as a profession in the future?
Daphne
As with many people who want to be teachers, they’ll reference a teacher that they’ve had. And so for me it was my high school music teacher from my Freshman through Junior years in high school.
I had never I never knew that music could be a discussion or a debate. I kind of understood it as performance or maybe there’s some history to it, but I never really had a back and forth conversation about it, and he was the first person that introduced that concept to me. He also brought so much energy and just pure joy to, he just had pure joy in all music that he just radiated to the rest of us. You had to have fun because he was having so much fun you couldn’t not.
So that also was my end of my Sophomore year into my Junior year was, was pandemic schooling, so watching him navigate as well, how do we do music virtually? How do we still have that connection? It really and yeah, it really inspired me just as something like I could see myself doing that. And I want to be part of bringing that joy of music to students.
And then coming to Amherst I am part of a program at Mount Holyoke where I’ll get my teaching license when I graduate, which is great. But also there’s definitely been some worry of what kind of music teacher jobs will be available. What if I work in certain states? Do they prioritize the arts? Do public schools have funding for that? There’s definitely all sorts of fear and worry I have about that for the future.
And I think with the Loeb Center and faculty at Amherst, I’ve been able to hear about so many other career educational opportunities that I didn’t know about. So as much as I still see myself being a classroom teacher, I have definitely felt more secure and more hope going into the future. Hearing about all of these other ways you can still participate and help change the educational scene.
Ava
Yeah, for sure. Now please tell us about those opportunities because I’m new to this for sure.
Daphne
Yeah, I think definitely coming into college, too; I admit I kind of only knew you could be a classroom teacher with an education degree. Thought that was really the only way. And I think I was first exposed to more ideas of teaching I believe it was during the Sophomore Summit to having alumni panels. And those have been really big and helpful events.
I really have enjoyed seeing real people who were in the same position I am now, who went to Amherst and some majored in the same majors I’m majoring in, and seeing what they’re actually doing, not just, oh, in theory, you could do this, but actually a person who is participating in a career that I’m interested in is really big.
Ava
For sure.
Daphne
So hearing about people who work in nature education or museum education and alternative methods that are really, really important for children’s development but aren’t necessarily in a classroom or larger scale people who work to create the curriculums that that classroom teachers use or work with schools to figure out what’s the best way of tackling a problem, implementing curriculum, etc..
So hearing about other ways in which people have helped really just give me more hope for what life after Amherst could be.
Ava
That is really, really cool. I did not know that at all. And the fact that, you know, over time you’re able to sort of build a more holistic view of what you could potentially do.
You know, everyone always lands on their feet. And everything always has a really funny way of working out. So no matter what that looks like, that’s really, really cool.
As we finish up our conversation, I know you’re a junior, so you have time left, whereas I have months left. So we’re really running out of time there.
What do you foresee yourself doing as you move into your senior year, potentially postgrad, knowing what you do know now about the education opportunities and possibilities and also in the process of getting your teaching license?
Daphne
Yeah, so realistically, you know, the things I will be doing next year, I hope to complete a music thesis in the fall, a composition I want to write a piece so really exciting.
And then in the spring I’ll be student teaching, so that’ll be really good hands on directly doing that and also in the community, which will be cool to actually get a little bit outside campus.
In terms of just general what I see post Amherst, I am optimistic and excited about based on all of the things I’ve learned here that there will be something that I find fulfilling in a career, whether that be teaching in a music classroom, which is right now what my goal is or whether that be helping create music curriculum or fighting for arts in public schools.
Ava
That’s wonderful. Awesome. Now can you leave the Amherst community or the future Amherst community a piece of advice about your time here about anything. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy or in particular.
Daphne
My biggest piece of advice for the general Amherst community, I would say, is to really take advantage of all of the opportunities this college has to offer. I have been incredibly lucky to be able to travel funded by Amherst, to go to events that directly relate to what I want to do with my career or interest I have outside of that. There have been so many opportunities that I have been lucky enough to participate in just by reading my email or talking to staff members or making an appointment at the Loeb Center. There have been so many things that I just wouldn’t have known about, and I think there are a lot of things that Amherst students don’t know happens here.
Ava
No. For sure. So students read your email, okay? Daily Mammoth. You are one step away from going on a really amazing trip or doing other really wonderful things so you can do it.
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for coming in.
Daphne
It’s been a joy.
Thank you.
