Later this summer, Bridgewater College alumna Kalia Page ’22 will start a new job as Band Director for Wilson Memorial High School in nearby Fishersville, Va. The percussionist and music educator has spent the past two years in Philadelphia studying for her master of music in instrumental conducting at Temple University, one of the top programs in the country. But Page said she is eager to return to the area that she considers home and to the thing she loves to do most: teach music to young people.
“I’m excited to come back to the Valley,” she said. “Wilson has a really good music program and I’m looking forward to building on the foundation that is already there.”
Page said she always knew that she wanted to be a music teacher. The Stanardsville, Va., native played percussion in band throughout K-12 and said that music, theater and the arts were her “safe haven” in high school. But Page said that she would never have been able to make a career out of her passion without the support and encouragement of the faculty at BC, where she majored in music education.
“If I’d gone to a bigger college, I don’t think I would be in the field that I am now. The professors at Bridgewater are what make the college great,” she said, noting that a music scholarship and other financial aid helped her afford a BC education.
Page said she had several mentors in the Department of Music during her time at BC, but a favorite was the late Marlon A. Foster, Adjunct Instructor of Music and a fellow percussionist. Page said that the two of them maintained a close friendship until his death last year.
“I would have gone to school in a cardboard box if he was teaching in it,” Page said of Foster.
Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary. Instead, Page immersed herself in her music classes and found a particular love for conducting when she took a class on the subject with Dr. Christine Carrillo, Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Music.
“If you are a conductor, you are a music educator,” Page explained. “You learn how to conduct, how to listen for problems in a musical group and how to communicate what you’d like the musicians to do.”
Page said that BC funded travel to conducting workshops and symposiums across the country where she could continue to learn her craft. Page also joined all the music ensembles on campus that she could, including, in 2021, the newly-formed Screamin’ Eagles Marching Band.
“We had been asking for a marching band for years,” she said. “We got it my senior year and it was so cool!”
Barry Flowe, Director of Athletic Bands, said he remembers Page as one of the first students he met when he came to BC to lead the Screamin’ Eagles and that her enthusiasm and work ethic were infectious.
“She was 100 percent electricity and so excited about the marching band,” he recalled. Flowe said Page had such a positive influence on the rest of her bandmates that he made her drum captain, responsible for all of the equipment and organizing the percussion section.
Page did her student teaching at Harrisonburg (Va.) High School, assisting with the school’s marching band. After graduating in 2022, she taught music for two years in Rappahannock County (Va.) Public Schools, where she founded a high school Fine Arts Academy. Among her students were Elijah Lowe ’27 and Daniel Garcia Prieto ’29, now both majoring in music at Bridgewater.
“Kalia Page is the primary reason that I’m at Bridgewater College,” said Lowe, a junior from Washington, Va. He described how Page brought their high school band to BC for Music Major for the Day programs and to play with the Screamin’ Eagles. “I knew my way around and had friends here on campus before I even applied to Bridgewater.”
Garcia Prieto, a first-year student from Sperryville, Va., echoed the sentiment: “If it was not for Kalia, I wouldn’t be here at Bridgewater.” He said Page’s support and encouragement persuaded him to major in music education, with plans to also become a high school band director. “I realized how much BC really cares about the students and the alumni. The professors here have the same enthusiasm and knowledge and respect for students that Kalia has.”
Those sorts of connections are ones that Carrillo and Flowe said the Department of Music works hard to cultivate in their students, faculty and alumni. Carrillo said lots of BC’s music education graduates have gotten jobs teaching in local schools and then are able to bring their students to campus for music events.
“Our students and graduates are great people and some of our best recruiters,” Carrillo said. She said the entire department is proud of what Page has accomplished in her career. “Being a female conductor is rare. It’s been neat to be able to watch Kalia change from a small-town girl to where she is now.”
“It’s going to be great having Kalia back in the area,” Flowe added. “She’s a terrific teacher and a great supporter of Bridgewater and our music program.”
Page said she’s just looking forward to getting back into the classroom and working to nurture more young musicians. Perhaps some more of them will also find their way to BC’s music department.
– Heather Cole
6/3/26
