During Stina Hagsten's upbringing in Vetlanda, she was always surrounded by people who played and sang. Her interest in music has been there for as long as she can remember, and even though she attended the natural science program in high school, she chose to train as a music teacher after graduation.
Stina Hagsten's main instrument is the saxophone, but she also plays the flute and clarinet. Like all interests, her practice routine had its ups and downs during her teenage years, but her mother reminded her of the importance of music and the discipline required to become good at her instrument, for which Stina is grateful.
"Yes, thank you, mom, for nagging me! If I hadn't persevered, I might not be where I am today. Even though I attended the natural science program in high school, I had a dream of working with people and music, helping people develop through and in music. So when it was time to apply to music college, I chose to train as a music teacher. But where should I study? My first saxophone teacher recommended Ingesund because he had studied there himself."
Stina visited Ingesund a couple of times and took lessons before making her decision.
"What a luxury to be able to visit! I fell in love with Ingesund both as a place and as a school during my visits, but what really decided it was the incredibly good saxophone teacher, Martin Eriksson. It's also a great school for music teacher students because you get to play a lot on your instruments in various contexts and ensembles. This way, you have every opportunity to develop both as a musician and as a teacher."
When asked if there was anything she missed during her studies at the Ingesund School of Music, the answer is no.
"The years at Ingesund have shaped me into who I am today, both professionally and personally. I got to experience so many fun things and meet so many wonderful people who are now my colleagues. We can always ask each other for advice even though we are spread out all over Sweden. At times, the studies were quite tough; the music teacher program is a demanding but solid education. It has a high study pace considering you are expected to maintain a high technical level on your instruments as well."
Nowadays, Stina works at Oskarshamn's cultural center as a pedagogue and producer. In her teaching role, she currently teaches a group of piano students and saxophone students in the aesthetic program, as well as groups in music, rhythm, dance, and play for children aged 4-6 within the concept of Musikfabriken.
"I really feel that I have received the education required for the job. For example, I have a lot of good tools and materials that I use when teaching younger children, even though it is not the focus of the music teacher program. In that way, it is really a broad education. I also thank Ingesund a lot for the piano lessons!"
But what is the most fun about being a music teacher? How important is it to introduce today's children to music and culture in general?
"The most fun part of being a music teacher is when the students succeed and when they themselves hear that it sounds good. Then it's so much fun to meet a lot of different people. Of course, it is very important to introduce children to music and other culture early on. I could write an essay about this, but if I say community, participation, meetings, joy, creativity, curiosity, you get it, right?"
