Every month, we like to spotlight one of our incredible Elemental Music teachers. Some of them have been teaching with us for close to a decade while others might be in their first year of working for our organization, but there is one thing that all of our teachers have in common: their dedication to the young musicians in our programs.
This month, we are featuring Elemental Music’s Executive & Artistic Director, Josephine Moerschel! Dr. Jo not only runs the entire organization, but she is also a Co-Director of Elemental Strings and a teacher for our Encore program. Read more to figure out about how she got started playing her instrument, her favorite part of Elemental Music, and just how many years she has been teaching for the organization…
Elemental Music: You hold so many roles with Elemental Music. Can you talk a little bit about what you do for the organization in all of those various capacities?
Josephine Moerschel: Ha ha. Once upon a time, when we first started, I was the viola coach for Elemental Strings. Over the years, as the organization has grown, my responsibilities have too.
I conduct the Elemental Strings Chamber Orchestra and serve as the 1st violin coach for that group. I also teach private lessons for Encore and the Bergmann Program. But most of my time goes towards running the organization, which has grown quite a bit since we started as a nonprofit in 2009. I oversee the integrity of all the programs, working with the board on making sure the organization stays faithful to our mission. I oversee the fundraising efforts at all levels, and get to connect with our donors to say thank you. I’m also the HR and finance departments, and help Emily Call with our grant writing efforts. So, basically, I have my hand in all the pies.
EM: With so many different responsibilities, what is your favorite role in EM?
JM: That’s easy. I love working with our students. To see their faces each week, and hear the progress that they make, that’s pure joy for me. They are the reason we do everything else.
EM: How long have you been teaching for Elemental Music?
JM: The original program, Elemental Strings, started in 2004. I was part of that founding team, and I’ve never left.
EM: How did you get started in music and why did you choose the viola as your instrument?
JM: Growing up, my family spent many evenings watching great classical performances on WTTW, the local PBS station in Chicago. I was always enthralled by the music and performers, and begged my parents to let me learn music. I started taking piano lessons when I was 8.
Viola came shortly after when we got to choose an instrument to play at school. When the teachers came to demonstrate the instruments, I loved the sound of the cello but I was a pretty small kid, and couldn’t imagine having to lug a big instrument around. The viola had a similar sound (anything but the squeaky violin!). That said, I must confess part of the reason I picked the viola, too, was because our elementary school principal demonstrated the viola, and I really looked up to him.
I loved piano, but loved viola too, for the camaraderie that came with playing in an orchestra.
EM: Like many of our teachers, you're a professional musician as well as a teacher. What inspired you to include music education as part of your career rather than only performance?
JM: I started teaching when I was in college, coaching chamber music for a very prestigious pre-college program at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. I loved being able to share my excitement and love of music to children.
When I moved to Austin, TX, for graduate school, they had a great teacher training program at UT where I got to really build more experience as a private teacher. I eventually ended up with a studio of 25 private students throughout my graduate school years, and valued the relationships that I had with both the students as well as their parents.
I always loved creating that sense of community amongst my students and families, and knew that even as I continued developing my performing career, I wanted to always maintain teaching as a part of my work.
EM: You also coach sectionals for SMMUSD at Samohi and have been involved with music in the school district for many years. Do you find that teaching in SMMUSD gives you any insights when you teach for our programs, too, or vice versa?
JM: Absolutely. There aren’t many teachers who get to watch students grow up and continue circling back between 4th and 12th grade, but that’s exactly what I get to do. Sometimes years pass between their time in Elemental Music and when I see them at Samo. But it’s like coming back to an old friend. I love catching up with them and seeing how much they have grown, both as musicians and as people.
In terms of how working in the SMMUSD impacts the work of Elemental Music, I think it allows not just me, but all of our staff who also work for the district, to have a keen understanding of what the trends are, as well as what challenges are starting to emerge. Our programs first started as a way to support the amazing work that the SMMUSD music teachers do, and I would like to think that we are still doing that all these years later.
EM: What is one of your favorite musical memories?
JM: During the pandemic, I didn’t play my viola much besides for teaching. Between running Elemental Music and getting my girls with school, there wasn’t much time (or, honestly, motivation) to practice on my part. It wasn’t until August of 2021 that I started performing again. I remember the first indoor concert I played since the start of the pandemic was with the Pacific Symphony and the amazing band Pink Martini at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in August. The night was electric - to hear and see the audience again, to be playing fun music with such an amazing band. I felt a lot of joy coming back after over a year away from performing.
EM: If you could give our students one piece of advice, musical or otherwise, what would it be?
JM: Don’t give up. Most of us have a windy path that leads up to adulthood. Sometimes things get really hard. Even learning a piece sometimes is really hard. But the only way to fail is to stop. I firmly believe that we can always find a way if we keep trying.
In fact, sometimes, it’s exactly when someone tells you to give up that you try the hardest. Many years ago, I had a teacher who told me I would never make it in the music world. I don’t think I ever worked so hard as I did those following years to prove him wrong. In hindsight, I have to thank that teacher. He gave me more motivation than I ever would have had otherwise.
EM: As Executive Director, what is one of your biggest dreams for the organization?
JM: I would love to see more students getting exposure to our programs - I would like to believe that by getting to play in our ensembles, students get inspired to continue studying music and make valuable friendships that last for years.
EM: Is there anything else you'd like to add, that you think might be interesting for our community?
JM: Only to say that I consider myself incredibly lucky to have such meaningful work in our amazing community. Our families and donors feel like close friends, and for that, I feel grateful each and every day.