Why I Chose EMU

Louis Vajda: ‘Eastern faculty love their students and what they do.’

For Louis Vajda, Eastern was his stepping stone to a career in music. After earning a K-12 Instrumental Music Education degree in 2019, he became a music educator at Farmington Public Schools.

“I teach kindergartners and first graders,” Vajda says. “I immerse them in a rich tonal and rhythmic vocabulary while presenting music that expands their cultural and historical understanding. I’m really happy teaching and having fun with the kids.”

Vajda says he knew Eastern was the right school for him during his first campus visit.

“It was apparent that the faculty love their students and what they do,” he says. “I played in the EMU Honors Band during my senior year of high school and knew Eastern was the place where I’d feel most at home. I never regretted my decision once.”

A wealth of experiences

Vajda plays trumpet and was a member of the EMU Wind Symphony and Symphony Orchestra. He was also drum major with the EMU Marching Band for three years.

“I wouldn’t love teaching music or making music as much as I do if not for the wonderfully inspiring people I went to school with every day at Eastern—both students and teachers,” he says. “That inspiration was the biggest gift you could receive as a music major. I want to provide that to my students, too.”

The opportunities Eastern faculty offer their students also made his undergraduate experience very fulfilling.

“The faculty are very supportive of students who wish to supplement their education with additional creative projects,” Vajda says. “I did an undergraduate conducting recital—something typically done while pursuing a master’s degree. Eastern allows its students a wealth of those kinds of experiences.”