Warhawk earns statewide Gaarder Award for music excellence
October 09, 2025
Written by Lalaina Chandanais | Photos by Craig Schreiner
For Emma Clark, there was never a time where music did not accompany her life.
“From listening to the family CD player that was always on, to singing in church choir with her sister, to performing in both band and choir classes throughout middle and high school — the roots of Clark’s love for music run deep.”
“My parents were music enthusiasts. They understood the importance of music and they shared that with my sister and me. We were always a part of that sort of atmosphere,” Clark said.
“The UW-Whitewater music department is no stranger to the Gaarder Award, having fostered 20 winners since 1989, more than any other Wisconsin university. Many in the department attribute it to the rigors of the coursework, the opportunities the program provides, and the close-knit community that music majors build. Sharri VanAlstine, a professor of music who wrote a letter of support for Clark, sees yet another factor of the department’s success — something generational.”
Clark, a music major from Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, is a winner of the 2025 Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA) Richard G. Gaarder award, an accolade given to honor outstanding leadership, service, and musicality within music education students. She will be recognized at the WMEA award ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison.
“I think history has a way of energizing the future. There is a long legacy of excellence that new students walk into. They see the upperclassmen proceeding on the shoulders of those before them,” VanAlstine said. “Emma has invested in our younger students, and I can see her younger classmates seeking to emulate her example. Her service and gifts to the department will continue to shape the future at UW-Whitewater and wherever she lands in the profession.”
A Warhawk in her element
Emma Clark in front, fifth from right, performs with other choral students in the multidisciplinary artistic exhibition “Trees” at Greenhill Center of the Arts in April 2025.
Clark had a well-rounded music education experience that she now looks back fondly on. She remarks on how the excellent teaching from music educators in her early life helped shape her desire to become one herself.
“For me, it was sixth or seventh grade when I got to be a part of those larger ensembles,” Clark recalled. “I had a lot of respect for those teachers, and they made me realize that you can teach both music and life skills at the same time.”
Clark’s experience with excellent music educators did not stop after high school. When she began attending UW-Whitewater after falling in love with the campus’s strong community, she found herself surrounded by passionate and supportive faculty from the start.”
Through this support, she took musical involvement to the next level, singing in a multitude of ensembles and performances, playing clarinet in the university band, performing in operas, and holding leadership roles in multiple musical organizations. Right from the beginning, Clark’s natural knack for both music and working with young children became apparent to many, including Alena Holmes, her nominator and a UW-Whitewater professor of music education.
"I first worked with Emma in my Technology for Music Educators course, where she immediately impressed me with her creativity, organization, and eagerness to learn,” Holmes said. “One of the highlights was her songwriting project; even though she had little prior experience with composing, she created a very imaginative children’s song that showed both musicality and a natural gift for connecting with young learners.”
As director of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, VanAlstine got to watch Clark thrive in her element as she performed in the group.
"Emma is patient and helps her peers. She can hear the music in her head and helps others to hear it and execute what they decide to try,” VanAlstine said.
Clark recognizes the great opportunity that the Vocal Jazz Ensemble has provided her, regarding it as one of the most impactful experiences she has had in her undergraduate music journey. “
It requires you to be very collaborative, and, in a sense, almost selfless. You are expected to prepare a lot on your own,” Clark said. “I really appreciate that Dr. VanAlstine holds us to that. She has been such a mentor and has encouraged us to make sure everything we do is truly musical and authentic.”
Clark’s musical involvement did not stop there. The university’s annual “Sounds ‘N’ Visions” clinic became yet another outlet for her passions for music and instruction to shine. She expanded the clinic into two locations — one on the main campus, and another at the Rock County campus.
"She turned the festival into a true community event, serving more than 60 K-5 students last year,” recounted Holmes. “That kind of vision, paired with her ability to bring people together, is exactly what exceptional leadership looks like.””
Continuing a legacy of greatness
Emma Clark, center, a music student from Mt. Horeb, and other choral singers perform before Chancellor King’s welcome address. A festive atmosphere prevailed at welcome ceremonies on the UW-Whitewater campus on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025.
With Holmes’ nomination, a strong letter of support from VanAlstine, and years of advanced musical skills under her belt, the ways in which Clark embodied the spirit of the Gaarder Award were clear to those at UW-Whitewater and to the WMEA.
“I was astounded and incredibly grateful to find out I was a recipient,” says Clark. “After I got to process it, the first people I told were my parents. They have been such a support.”
While her reception of the Gaarder Award has brought about a wave of many feelings, Clark’s gratitude shines above all else.
“I would like to thank my partner, who has shown me a lot about how the music world works. I would also like to thank my colleagues in choral music education,” Clark said. “It is a small cohort, so we have gotten really close.”
Clark strongly believes that great music education should be a part of every child’s upbringing, showing her commitment to this philosophy every day through her pre-student teaching observation at Washington Elementary School in Whitewater.
She plans to graduate in May with a B.M. in music education and an emphasis in choral education. She also plans to get her license in K-12 general choral instrumental music, and one day pass on all that she has learned from the many music educators in her early life.
