School of Music students commit their college experience to developing their craft as musicians. For some, this extends to sharing their musical knowledge with others. From teaching children learning their first notes to reaching adult musicians brushing up on their instruments, DePaul students are supporting musicians throughout Chicago.
Fostering a lifetime of music engagement
The Community Music Division, established in 1988, facilitates music training for Chicagoans of all ages. On May 2, the division’s annual Performathon will host events in three concert halls in the Holtschneider Performance Center, with over 250 students performing from 9 am to 7 pm.
The division’s pre-college program focuses on individual instruction and ensembles for kids as young as four years old. Its adult offerings include a community chorus and ensemble performance opportunities to foster a lifelong engagement with music. Lessons build up to performance recitals, where they can showcase their talents and learn what it’s like to perform on a real stage.
In addition to on-site programming, the division’s director, Susanne Baker, has developed partnerships with eight schools throughout Chicago to bring teaching artists to over 200 students in underserved music programs.
“These schools have bands and music teachers, but there are 30-plus students in each band,” Baker says. “Getting one-on-one experience with our teaching artists is a special way for each student to develop individually.”
School of Music students serve as teaching artists, collaborating with music instructors in CPS schools. Socrates Hwang, a fourth-year undergraduate studying percussion performance and psychology, has worked in the program for two years.
“I’ve worked with one of my students for the whole time I’ve been in the program, and it’s amazing to see their growth,” Hwang says. “On one hand, you get to see students grow musically and get new interests, but you also get to see these kids grow up and become better citizens. Music reinforces the feeling that they’re working on something bigger than themselves.”
Baker has coordinated the Community Music Division’s offerings throughout its 38 years of making music in Lincoln Park and beyond. In addition to connecting with educators, Baker organizes performances for students to show off their skills and seeks out funding to provide scholarships for classes and provide tuition-free education to CPS students.
More information is available online about the Performathon and how to support the Community Music Division.
Future music educators get a head start on instruction
While other music education programs may wait until senior year to send students into classrooms to teach, DePaul students begin as soon as their sophomore year. Shayla Glaser, a third-year Music Education student at DePaul, teaches at Jahn Elementary School through the program. She says DePaul’s tiered approach to hands-on instruction ensures students feel well-prepared before this period.
“I couldn’t imagine going straight from classroom instruction to student teaching without this experience,” Glaser says. “It's just a world of difference getting to write lesson plans, teach them, and reflect on what worked and what didn’t. It's so imperative that we get that classroom experience before taking that huge step.”
Music Education students learn to develop curriculum and hone their performance skills throughout their undergraduate experience. As the director of music education, Sara Jones saw an opportunity to benefit both her own students and young musicians. She partners with schools to bring additional instruction to children and teens who would otherwise be unable to receive individualized instruction.
DePaul students teach children and teens from kindergarten to high school in one-off workshops and long-term assignments. They begin by shadowing juniors and then transition to creating their own lesson plans.
One such partnership is with Jahn Elementary in Chicago’s Roscoe Village neighborhood, where DePaul students are in the classroom once each week to teach music classes.
“Our students are able to see what it's like to teach over a full term,” Jones says. “They can outline what it's like to connect lessons. When they are 10 or 20 lessons in, they can see their students’ progress and what they’re building over time.”