When Beth Vaughn tells people she teaches choir, their response is either they can’t sing, or they were told by their music teacher they can’t sing.

“That always makes me cringe. I’m here to tell you, yes you can. That’s my job,” said Vaughn, who was honored with as a Bowling Green Kiwanis Club Inspirational Teacher of the Year award on Thursday.

As with any other skill, you have to practice singing, listen and watch others do it, and have the desire to learn, Vaughn said.

She taught the Kiwanis members a song and had them sing in three-part harmony.

“It’s about the journey and the path, not the final destination,” Vaughn said. “Yes, it’s always great to have a perfect concert, but that’s not the point. The point is you’re never going to be perfect and you’re never not going to make mistakes.”

It’s not about how good you are or being the best, it’s about sharing music with others, she said.

For the past eight years, Vaughn has taught chorale at Bowling Green High School with the goal of instilling lifelong love of music and the arts.

“I am truly humbled and honored to be recognized,” Vaughn said about the Kiwanis honor.

Vaughn is one of three Bowling Green teachers receiving the award this month. Bill Ferguson was honored last week, and Tomas Roman will be recognized next week.

Vaughn spoke on how it takes a village to reach your potential.

She said many people and places have been part of her village before she came to Bowling Green.

Music was a part of her life in Delphos. Vaughn sang every week at church and joined choir in third grade – she even remembers what she was wearing when she auditioned.

“I think that’s where my love of music started.”

Vaughn credited her elementary music teacher for giving her a great foundation and recalled as she got older, she had teachers and adults come up to her and tell her she had a nice voice.

“From an early age, music gave me confidence.”

She joined band in fifth grade and “to the dismay of my family,” she picked trumpet.

By her junior year, she was involved exclusively in music activities.

“Music is what made me feel accomplished, successful and happy.”

Being in the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir for four years was a life-changing experience; it opened her world to other cultures and personalities.

Vaughn attended Bowling Green State University and studied instrumental music education with a focus on trumpet.

She became assistant director of the All-Ohio State Fair Youth Choir. She taught in Napoleon for three years before joining the staff at Arcadia, where she taught choir and general music in grades K-12 for nine years.

The band director there became a mentor and friend and helped her find confidence, she said.

Vaughn and her husband James, who is the director of vocal music at Wauseon schools, have been married 13 years and are the foster parents of three children.

He is her biggest sounding board and someone she learns from daily, she said.

Vaughn decided she wanted to focus on choir, and that is how she came to Bowling Green.

She now hopes she’s a part of her students’ village.

Students need to try new things to determine who they are and that comes from activities. Not every student is going to stick with music, but Vaughn said she hopes they learn something and feel a sense of accomplishment.

There is no special equipment in choir, so anyone can do it, Vaughn said. She added that it gives students a place to be themselves, express their emotions, leave their troubles in the hallways and come in and immerse themselves in the music.

Vaughn said she not only teaches music but also teaches the student.

“I want them to become confident, knowledgeable, courteous and responsible,” she said. “They also learn teamwork, cooperation and time management.”

Her students have jokingly called her mom because she has given them tough love. One class presented Vaughn with a book titled “Momma Says,” filled with her quotes from class.

“Music can be a lifetime event,” she said. “There’s always a group you can sing with, or you can sing with your kids or your grandkids or just enjoy going to a show.”

Vaughn said she gets joy in seeing her students shine and step out of their comfort zones and share their gifts after high school.

“When I look back on where I am today, I remember those pivotal moments,” she said. “Those teachers that I had, my parents and my students who help me grow every day and become part of my village as well.”

Kiwanis member Jason Miller asked how virtual teaching affected her classes.

Vaughn said it was like reinventing the wheel.

“Choir and the arts are such a community event. So that was a true loss, and you could tell the kids felt that,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn directs the chorale, treble choir, tenor bass choir and the Madrigals and co-teaches eighth grade choir. She is voice director for the musicals.

“Beth does a great job,” said Superintendent Francis Scruci. “She elevates our kids and instills confidence in our kids and gets kids that didn’t even know they could sing to sing very well.

“She’s a master of her craft and we’re really lucky to have her.”