Meet Mrs. Misty

---

                    Misty (Stocker) Ralphs  is a native Texan where her love for music was fueled by exposure to fine arts at a very young age. Misty's music teachers in her early life made an everlasting impact on her as she was educated by some of North Texas' finest music teachers. Misty has studied music in some capacity privately since the age of five and while in middle school, Misty decided that she wanted to become a music teacher so that she could impact the lives of others the way her dedicated music teachers impacted her. Being able to share her love of music with her students is a dream come true.

Misty began being recognized as an outstanding musician while in middle school. When Misty graduated high school, her choir director awarded Misty with the National Conductors Choice Award, an award given to one student at the high school every year. 

Misty continued her studies at Brigham Young University where she studied voice, piano, choral conducting, general music studies, and early childhood music education. She finished her schooling at the University of North Texas, one of the nation's finest comprehensive music schools.    While at UNT, Misty participated in the student chapters of ACDA (American Choral Director's Association) & TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association). Misty began teaching private piano & voice lessons while she was working on her undergraduate degree at the university. Misty also had the privilege of being one of the students selected to work with the UNT Early Childhood Music Classes. Misty believes that musicians are created at a young age. 

While attending UNT, Misty married Darin Ralphs.  They have four high-energy children that keep both Darin and Misty on their toes. Misty took a break from teaching from 2007-2010 to focus on her family. Misty's work history has always been in the education field with opportunities to direct choirs, and positions as a substitute teacher, preschool teacher, and swim instructor. 

Currently, Misty teaches group music classes at her commercial studio in Chubbuck, Idaho and enjoys her part-time job as the general music teacher at Pocatello Valley Montessori School. Misty certified as a Let's Play Music teacher in May of 2014 and a Sound Beginnings teacher in May of 2017.  When she has time, she loves to perform in shows at The Palace Theater and with ISU's Camerata Singers.

Why I Teach Music 

1. MUSIC IS A SCIENCE: It is exact, specific, and must be 100% correct. It is unalterable. It demands absolute acoustics.

2.   MUSIC IS MATHEMATICAL:       It is rhythmically based on the subdivisions of time in space into fractions which must be done instantaneously and not worked out on paper.

3.   MUSIC IS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE:  Most of the terms are in Italian, German, or French.  The notation of notes is not English, but a highly developed kind of shorthand.

4.   MUSIC IS HISTORY: Since music has always reflected the environment and times of its creation-often even the country or racial feeling.

5.   MUSIC IS PHYSICAL EDUCATION:  It requires fantastic coordination of fingers, hands, arms, lip, cheek, and facial muscles in addition to extraordinary control of the diaphragm, back, stomach, and chest muscles which must respond instantly to the sounds the ear hears and the mind interprets.

6.   MUSIC IS ALL OF THESE THINGS BUT MOST OF ALL MUSIC IS AN ART:  It allows a human being to take all of these dry, technically boring (but fantastically difficult) techniques and use them to create emotion!  That is the one thing science cannot duplicate- humanism or feeling or emotion or call it what you will.

THAT IS WHY I TEACH MUSIC

          Not because I expect you to be a music major

          Not because I expect you to play music all your life

          Not so you can relax

          Not so you can have fun

          No so you can trot around the football field 

BUT

          So you will be human

          So you will recognize beauty

          So you will be sensitive

          So you will be closer to an infinite beyond this world

          So that you’ll have something to cling to

          So that you will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more

          In short, more life.

Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living unless you know how to live?

THAT’S WHY I TEACH MUSIC!