Sarah Wirthlin, a mother of four, earned her Bachelor of Music degree with an emphasis in music education more than 20 years after finishing high school. (Photos by Derik Holtmann)
Sarah Wirthlin knew she’d have a hard time hiding her elation as she led her fellow graduates onto the floor at the Mark Twain Athletic Center during Saturday afternoon’s commencement ceremony at the University of Missouri–St. Louis.
She had been waiting more than two decades to arrive at that moment, and her face was beaming as she carried the College of Arts and Sciences banner while her husband, Jim, and their four children looked on from the stands.
Wirthlin had graduated from high school back in 2002 but put off college initially to pursue a career as a singer and theater performer, always expecting to return to education.
She wound up taking courses at Salt Lake Community College in her native Utah in 2006 and 2007, earning her associate degree. But her plans to complete her bachelor’s kept getting pushed back as she got married, started a family and supported Jim as he embarked on his own education and career as a physician in the Medical Corps of the United States Air Force.
The dream of finishing school never left Wirthlin, however, as she experienced life as a military spouse and raised her children – now ranging in age from 7 to 17 – through family moves from Utah to Washington, D.C., Texas, California and Idaho.
Finally in Missouri – where her husband came to do his residency in anesthesiology – and with her youngest by then in preschool, she was able to make the dream a reality with the help of UMSL.
Wirthlin relished the chance she had Saturday to walk across the commencement stage and receive her diploma after graduating magna cum laude with her Bachelor of Music with an emphasis in music education.
“To feel that dream being realized and to know that I did it, know that I finally came to the point where I was able to accomplish something I wanted to accomplish, that’s really special,” Wirthlin said.
An emotional return
Despite being 20 years removed from her high school graduation and 15 years from when she last set foot in a classroom, Wirthlin doesn’t remember feeling any trepidation when she enrolled at UMSL in the fall of 2022.
Student marshal Sarah Wirthlin holds the College of Education banner while waiting to lead her fellow graduates into Saturday afternoon’s commencement ceremony.
“I remember I was driving up on I-70 the first day, and I just was excited to get there,” she said. “It was definitely a long time coming.”
Her instructor for that first class was Associate Professor Jim Henry, the director of choral studies in the Department of Music. He had each of the students stand up and introduce themselves to their fellow classmates.
Eventually, it was Wirthlin’s turn.
“She stood up, and I think started giving her story of who she is, and she started crying,” Henry said. “You could always tell with Sarah that it meant so much for her to be there. I just don’t think she took a single moment for granted, and I think that was a moment when it just really, really hit her that she was finally doing what she’s been wanting to do. It was really special.”
Her classmates were also moved.
“Just to feel the support in that room and how excited they were for me – it was really lovely,” Wirthlin said.
That would continue – from both faculty members and fellow students – throughout her time in the Department of Music.
It didn’t matter that she was older than nearly all her classmates and still juggling the extra responsibilities that come with parenthood and marriage.
“Honestly, something UMSL excels at, truly, is supporting nontraditional students,” she said. “I never once felt that I was nontraditional, if that makes sense. It felt like this was my path, this was my journey, and they were going to meet me where I was. It was phenomenal.”
A lifelong passion
There was never much question about Wirthlin’s academic pursuit. Music has been a central part of her life since childhood. She even met her husband, Jim, through musical theater.
Music education graduate Sarah Wirthlin sings the national anthem during Saturday afternoon’s commencement ceremony.
“I grew up in a musical family,” said Wirthlin, who sang the national anthem during Saturday’s commencement ceremony. “My dad is a musician, and he started originally as a bass player and then moved into piano and then moved into voice, so I just grew up around music. It was something I’ve done my whole life. I originally started as a dancer and then moved into being a singer with show choirs and musical theater. That was really where my heart was. I tried to do it outside of school, in school, everywhere I could get it. I wanted to do music all the time.”
She credits her “very encouraging” high school music teachers with helping her channel her passion toward music education.
As a student at Skyline High School in Salt Lake City, she was active in choir and jazz band, even serving as a teaching assistant and assistant music director for the school musical. In her senior year, she auditioned to represent the school’s music department in a competitive statewide scholarship program, but she wound up getting passed over when the judges selected an instrumentalist instead.
The experience still presented her with the chance to have a candid conversation with one of her instructors afterward.
“He said, ‘We want to take this opportunity to talk to you about your future. We know you love performing. We know that’s your aspiration’ – because at the time I wanted to go to New York City and do musical theater and be on Broadway,” Wirthlin said. “He said, ‘However, I think you should really consider teaching.’”
She recalls looking at him sideways and asking, “What are you talking about?” But he explained.
“We’ve seen you in that environment, and we feel like you really thrive there, and you’re able to speak with your peers in a way that still comes across authoritative but approachable,” he told her. “That’s a really big asset that you have.”
It was the first time anyone had put the idea in Wirthlin’s mind, and the longer she thought about it, the more it made sense.
She still spent time working as a performer after finishing high school, but always with the idea that she would eventually teach.
“I definitely saw more longevity in teaching than I did in performing for myself,” she said. “But it’s nice because I’m able to use the skills I’ve obtained as a performer in teaching.”
Honing her skills
Amid all her family’s moves, Wirthlin always did some part-time work as a voice coach, and since 2020, she’s had a contract position as a teaching artist at the Gateway Center for the Performing Arts in Webster Groves, Missouri. Those jobs have confirmed her desire to help others learn and grow through music.
But UMSL has helped strengthen her knowledge and skills as an educator. Because she’d already earned her associate degree, she’s been able to fill her schedule almost entirely with music and education courses over the past 3½ years.
“That was great because the music ed degree almost feels like you’re double majoring with the amount of coursework you have to take,” Wirthlin said.
She’s enjoyed performing with different UMSL ensembles and learning about music theory and conducting, but she’s also been appreciative of the opportunities she’s had to work with elementary, middle and high school students throughout the program.
That included volunteering with St. Louis Dancing Classrooms through the College of Education’s Community Agency Partners program during her first semester on campus.
She also engaged area high school students through the Acappellooza Fall Festival that Henry organizes in conjunction with Ambassadors of Harmony and the E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Festival that Michael V. Smith, the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Music Education, coordinates in February.
“We, as the students, get to teach those students,” she said. “It’s all choir and music, which obviously is what I love, and having those opportunities has completely fed into everything that I’m hoping to do outside of UMSL. It gave me that experience hands-on, which was really nice.”
Family first
Wirthlin has tried to throw herself fully into her experience as a student, but she’s always made sure to prioritize one other role: mom.
Sarah Wirthlin celebrated commencement while surrounded by her family, including her husband, Jim, and their four children.
“I wanted my kids to know that this is something Mom’s doing for herself, but it doesn’t take away from them,” she said.
She was careful, as much as possible, to make sure she completed her schoolwork while on campus during the day or at night after her kids had gone to sleep so they could have her full attention when they were at home together.
“It also is a benefit that I’m older,” Wirthlin said. “I’ve had a lot of life experience, especially being a military wife. That’s helped me a lot, just juggling schedules, being organized, kind of having a very military way of doing things.”
It also made it easier that, as a music major, a lot of her coursework involved singing on campus, either in voice lessons or choir classes. And with all her general education requirements out of the way, she was able to avoid overloading her course schedule.
Wirthlin was still grateful for the support she received from her husband, Jim, as well as UMSL faculty members, who understood when her family needed to come first.
She saw that support early on when she had to bring her younger daughter with her to her Thursday morning class because she was only enrolled in preschool Monday-Wednesday.
“Everyone in class got to know my daughter for that semester just because she was around,” Wirthlin said. “The faculty understood, and they were very sweet about making her feel welcome, too. It was all just a wonderful experience to start out.”
With that support, she’s been able to set an example she hopes her children can emulate as they get older.
“I’ve spoken especially with my 17-year-old daughter about it a lot,” she said. “I’ve asked, ‘Hey, how’s it been having me in school?’ And she said, ‘I think it’s really cool, because you’re showing me that I can keep doing it.’ I think that’s something I wanted.
“I grew up in a very traditional home where my dad went to work, my mother stayed home, and I never really saw my mom engage in something for her. I think it may have just been the generation or the environment. But that also was really important to me, for my children to see, ‘Hey, Mom is still Sarah, and she still has her own interests.’ And I’ve gotten the feedback from them that they’ve seen that, and they’ve seen how happy it makes me.”
Ready for what’s next
Wirthlin spent her last semester student teaching at Eureka High School, and she believes she established strong ties with her students over several months.
“Music’s amazing, because you really connect with people in a very short amount of time in a very unique and lovely way, and it’s very true here with these students,” Wirthlin said. “They trusted me very quickly, and it has been a really lovely ending to a big goal and a big dream. I already told the teacher, ‘Please have me back as your substitute if you’re ever gone.’”
As Wirthlin hits the job market, she’s looking for that same opportunity to connect with students in a full-time position, either in a high school or middle school. She’s been doing her best to network and use connections she’s made through the Department of Music as she looks toward landing a permanent teaching position next fall.
Henry sees a bright future ahead of her.
“With her talent, with her energy, the kids will love her,” Henry said. “She’s got all this professional music experience in addition to being a true, sort of born educator. I think any school that winds up with her in their music class is going to be so fortunate. The students will be really fortunate, but the school will be fortunate, too, because they’re going to have a perfect role model. I have a feeling that she’s going to become very well-known in music education circles, and I can’t wait to see her climb.”
