Conservatory students will give private lessons to students in the Jumpstart Young Musicians Program as part of the Colburn Teaching Fellows.
It has become increasingly crucial for musicians to create a sense of context in their studies, and learn not just how to master their instruments, but also develop the skills necessary to build successful careers. For our Conservatory students interested in teaching, the Teaching Fellows program has been invaluable in providing them with experience, inspiration, and technique.
In the spring semester of 2018, the Colburn Conservatory will once again offer the Teaching Fellows course for students interested in developing their skills as applied teachers. The program is popular among students, with 80 students having participated in it since its inception in 2011. This year, Richard Beene, who will work with winds, brass, and percussion students, and Carey Beth Hockett, who will work with our strings students, will lead the course.
Colburn Teaching Fellows will each work throughout the semester with one or more students from the Jumpstart program, serving as a musical mentor and private teacher. As part of the course, they will learn instrument-specific pedagogical techniques designed to help them become effective and proficient studio teachers. Then, fellows will apply those techniques to private lessons for students in the Jumpstart Young Musicians Program.
“I am very excited to be working with the Conservatory strings students because all of my interactions with them have shown them to be sensitive, dedicated, and articulate young musicians who understand the value of excellent teaching,” said Hockett.
For many years, Ms. Hockett has taught Suzuki cello in the Community School of Performing Arts. She’s a recognized teacher trainer for both the Suzuki Association of the Americas (SAA) and the European Suzuki Assocation (ESA), and specializes in group teaching. Ms. Hockett is also the founder of Corkybird Enterprizes, which produces creative materials for music education.
Richard Beene joins the Teaching Fellows program he helped create six years ago, while serving as Dean of the Conservatory. “The Colburn Teaching Fellows program is a source of great pride for the school. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with our wind and percussion players as they develop their skills as applied teachers.”