Humans of Chaffey: Professor Encina
If you're looking for a teacher who is passionate about their subject, look no further than Professor Encina.
By China Ang
Professor Bethany Encina is Chaffey College's new Concert Choir Director, however I have known her for six years. She is also the Choir Director at Los Osos High School where I am an alumna. Though I never joined the choir in high school, I worked closely with them for some concerts due to my being in the band. When I saw Professor Encina’s new class during registration, I could not pass it up again.
We sat down in her office at Los Osos just before her class at Chaffey to have a one-on-one conversation about her background in music, the difficulties music teachers faced during the pandemic, and her plans for the future here at Chaffey.
With her mom being a private piano and voice teacher, music surrounded Encina's childhood. Her mom was her first teacher. Encina started with voice lessons at the age of four, then piano lessons at seven.
Encina continued on with music throughout her formal education. She played the flute all the way up to high school where she attended Los Osos High School where she also joined choir. She was the first student at that school to take band and choir simultaneously.
In college, she could only choose one and choir was the winner. She received her bachelor's degree in vocal performance and music education from Chapman University, then her Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of South Carolina.
After some time, Los Osos came calling. The school was in need of a new choir director and Professor Encina willingly took on the role and has been there for nine years now.
During the pandemic, it was no secret that educators had a difficult time adjusting to the new normal that was Zoom calls and online learning. Music teachers were no different. But Encina says that her passion for teaching and music only grew and having to find new ways of being creative online was fuel for her.
It was not until her first full year back in person did Professor Encina experience the most burnout. The two-year break from in-person teaching resulted in students and teachers having to relearn how to function in classrooms where things as simple as raising a hand in class were forgotten.
Still, their programs were luckier than most. Music programs all over the country were being shut down preventing children from understanding and building a love and passion for music.
We then progressed to talking about her life at Chaffey.
“I always thought it would be really wonderful to teach at the college level…” she said.
Encina also says that it would be nice to be able to develop a relationship between the two schools she works in. Chaffey and Los Osos are so close and many past students of Osos spend a year or two in Chaffey after graduation.
“It would be really great to be able to encourage my former students to continue singing after high school and hopefully grow the music program in Chaffey even more.”
Another goal Professor Encina has for the Concert Choir here is to grow it into a community choir. For people of all ages across Rancho to have a place to “hone their skills and take ownership of their voices.”
I asked her why people should join choir. Her answer was this.
“So I think that singing is a very human thing to do. If you have a voice, if you can speak, you can sing.”
Many people are discouraged to sing because our culture coins it as a talent, not a skill. Professor Encina says,
“Singing is a skill just like any other subject of sport. The more experience you have with it, the more you improve.”
