My name is Amanda Kramer and I am a music major and dance minor at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Born and raised in Danielson, CT, I began my path into these two creative arts through the encouragement of my mother, who enrolled me in ballet class at the age of three, and my elementary school, where I was required to participate. As I developed my musical and dance talents, I soon realized that a day would come where, unless I entered the field of musical theater which i wasn't interested in, I would have to choose between the two. In my eighth grade year, I made the decision to focus on dance. I was determined to enter a "dance high school" in New York or Boston where i would be dancing every day and also earn my high school diploma. After looking into it, my parents realized that, despite the heavy cost, even if I were a complete success, an occupation as a dancer would not provide me enough money to support myself, never-mind a future family. It was at this point that I realized I would go to my public high school and focus on music and leave dance as an extracurricular activity. In high school, I participated in many music festivals and a select vocal ensemble called J.I.V.E (Jazz Is Vocal Ecstasy). My senior year in high school, I took Advanced Placement music theory and it was there that I realized that teaching music was my true calling. Today, I am continuing both of my artistic passions in music and dance and it is here that I have realized how much these two arts relate and interact with each other.