The voices of former students.

My name is Evan Shelton and I am currently teaching as a full time Instructor at the University of Colorado Denver as well as maintaining a 25 student private cello studio. I am writing to share with you how valuable the three semester pedagogy program at CSU was to me as a student as well as in my career as a professional musician. Not only was my experience with Barbara, both in knowledge and hands on teaching skills excellent, these classes provided me with the versatility I needed to begin building a successful career in music. As a cello performance major it became clear that I was going to have to find a way to supplement an income aside from playing and upon completing the pedagogy program I not only created a new stream for possible income, I ended up finding a passion for teaching. It was because of this passion that I decided to pursue and complete a masters degree in Suzuki Pedagogy which led to my current teaching career. Had the pedagogy classes at CSU not been available I would never have considered that path and truly do not think I would be as successful professionally as I am today. Teaching one's instrument has become essential for professional musicians and it is because of this that I feel my pedagogy education at CSU set me up for success.

In my opinion, The pedagogy program at CSU is one of the most important classes in the Music Education course. I am from Brazil and I am a former master's student of Professor Barbara Thiem at CSU (Spring 2019). I have been a professional cellist at the Orquestra do Teatro Nacional de Brasília for 15 years, and I decided to do a second Master's degree with the great cellist and pedagogue Barbara Thiem. During the two years as her student, I had the privilege of having access to the North American teaching method, and also, I had the transformative participation in the Cello Pedagogy Program, where I had access to the music pedagogy's bibliography, different methodologies for teaching the instrument, theoretical and practical classes, and the pedagogy laboratory. I have been teaching for years in my native country, but I was invited to teach as a substitute cello professor at the Universidade de Brasília and Professor Thiem prepared me to take up that position. The knowledge and the experience I obtained during my period as a Pedagogy Program student brought me more content and confidence to be a much more qualified professional, both in the orchestra and teaching at the university and with my private students.

The Cello Pedagogy class taught by Professor Barbara Thiem was not only one of the most important classes of my entire Master's Degree, but also one that has helped me to develop all of my teaching methods for current and future students. Without this class, I would not have sufficient enough groundwork to teach students of all ages and all skill levels. The material she provides, years of expertise, and hands on experience with instant feedback was what I needed in order to feel completely comfortable with starting my own professional studio. I am eternally grateful for the chance to take this once-in-a-lifetime course. My life would not be the same!

There are courses one takes out of necessity, to fill in a slot on one's transcript, to fill the quota required to obtain a degree. I could list them if they were not so forgettable. The classes that stick with a student years afterwards (6 years, in my case) are those that fill in a slot in one's own personal journey towards adulthood and stewardship of the human community. Those classes I remember frequently and fondly, and include the Cello Pedagogy courses taught by Barbara Thiem at Colorado State University School of Music & Dance. Learning to break down the concept of cello playing into digestible pieces, and to describe in words a decade of cello technique that is so ingrained it is outside of conscious thought-- that is an art in itself. The format of the class allowed this learning to take place in the most comprehensive way possible. The first semester covered the basics, and we had 1- or 2-day test students pulled from the hallway. Afterwards, we were given real cello beginners and instructed to teach them. From behind one-way glass Barbara Thiem had a close and careful view of our teaching without any interference in the lesson. She taught us as we taught the students, and in a way the students learned from her with us pedagogy students as mediums. This learning experience for me was transformative. I learned how to combine speaking with body language, encouragement with discipline, fun with hard work. I also had the unexpected side effect of finding I can relate to young people-- a middle schooler and a high schooler. I never knew myself to be "good with kids" but this experience of focused pedagogy gave me an opportunity to learn to communicate with younger demographics of society. After graduating, I went on to teach a couple private students of my own, then I moved states for graduate school and a career in Occupational Health and Safety. I play regularly with a community orchestra but unfortunately I have not kept up private teaching. However the pedagogy series gave me skills I still use in other areas of my personal and professional life, and I may return to private teaching once my employment situation changes. In conclusion, this program has been a beneficial and cherished part of my formation as a cellist, musician, and adult community member.

As a Masters of Music student at Colorado State University I was enrolled in the three-semester cello pedagogy course and heard this course could no longer be offered in the Fall of 2021. That is unacceptable. You cannot take away a class dedicated to learning how to teach the cello. What other class is offered that will go through, in complete depth, the scientific reasoning behind playing the cello? What other class will let students have real life practicum to work on the teaching skills being taught? What other class will combine teaching strategies along with exploring repertoire for different levels of students? Taking away this class limits all music majors and non-majors from getting crucial information about teaching. Not only has this class contributed to my teaching skills, it overlaps with my own playing. I have learned so much about how to improve my playing from this class and I will never take that for granted. You cannot take away this class, there are no other classes that will replace all the information given. Removing this class removes precious information that might be lost since there is so little time in school and so much to learn. As a masters student, I was fortunate to be able to take this class. Though I did take a pedagogy class (yes, only one because that's all they offered) in my previous undergraduate school, it did not cover even half the information that these courses do. Also, that class was for general pedagogy of music. Not cello specific. It is so rare to see a pedagogy class for your specific instrument and for the class to be offered for more than one semester. You all have already taken away the option of receiving a pedagogy certificate, please reconsider taking away this class.

I was lucky to take Barbara Thiem's cello pedagogy course as I was studying music therapy at CSU a few years ago. Now, as a professional music therapist, I use teaching skills every day to engage a variety of clinical populations. For example, in the last week, I taught instrument playing techniques to people with disabilities in adaptive lessons, taught clients in an in-patient psych facility how to read simple rhythms, led an intergenerational beginner ukulele class, helped a teenager with autism and anxiety compose a song she can sing to herself when she starts to have an anxiety attack, and taught a non-verbal client an American Sign Language song. Though these scenarios don't specifically relate to cello pedagogy, there were so many other elements I took away from the course that aided the previously mentioned teaching experiences. I learned the ability to break big concepts down into digestible pieces and use different ways of explaining these concepts if students didn't understand right away. I learned how to communicate specific techniques with creative metaphors that engage students, and how to relay information at an age-appropriate level. I had opportunities to improve my ability to develop rapport with students, which made a comfortable and supportive learning environment. Overall, through the pedagogy course, I gained confidence in my ability to pass musical knowledge on to people of differing abilities, and I use those skills every day.

I attended Colorado State University from January 2007 until May 2009. During this time, I completed my second bachelor's degree in music performance (cello) and completed the string pedagogy program with Leslie Stewart and Barbara Thiem. Since my time at Colorado State, I have gone on to complete a master's degree in performance and a Ph.D. in music education. The knowledge, tools, and skills I learned in the pedagogy program at Colorado State have greatly influenced my success in both graduate studies and my career as a musician and music educator. In the pedagogy program I was able to intimately learn the art of teaching a string instrument, which is entirely different from the skills learned in a traditional music education program. My first cello student through the pedagogy program was a 5th grader. Teaching her under the supervision of Barbara Thiem and receiving feedback on what went well and what could improve was extremely valuable. The opportunity to teach in front of a master teacher, and in front of peers, is humbling and encouraging. The feedback and depth of learning that occurs when the space is given to really dive into what is happening during teaching is something unique and not possible during traditional music education instruction. I still have a notebook that we created during this program with repertoire, articles on practice, and sequences of learning that I refer to. As I look back on all of my learning experiences, completing this pedagogy program was one of the most impactful. Since my time at Colorado State, I have held many different positions. I taught general elementary music, strings, and chorus for 3 years in Florida, I was the director of two elementary orchestras in Atlanta for 4 years, I have had a private studio of about 20 students, and I have taught string methods, string techniques, and have supervised student teachers at Georgia State University for 5 years during my doctoral program. I am currently an orchestra director for a brand-new middle school program in Atlanta, Georgia as well as administration for an elementary strings program. My experience in the pedagogy program has without a doubt made me a strong teacher and musician.

I am writing on behalf of the String Pedagogy Program at Colorado State University run by Professors Barbara Thiem and Leslie Stewart. As a former student of the course, I can say with confidence that the course is absolutely vital to any student who wants to teach strings on a private or public level. Pedagogy is unique as a field and needs to be taught to future educators. The techniques with which you teach strings and play strings come from different vantage points and are backed by literature taught in the class. Also irreplaceable are the guided lessons, where a professor observes your teaching and gives feedback. Not only does the pedagogy student learn, but the students being taught also have an opportunity to receive lessons. The analysis of another person's playing and the ability to explain, correct, and improve that person's playing is taught in this class. The class teaches what to look for, how to fix it, and why. It is in depth and takes a systematic approach to teaching strings. There are too many teachers who lack the background that this class provides. This class has turned out a world of talented teachers who continue to benefit the community. It benefited my career, my ability to teach, learn new techniques, find work, and take up roles in string teaching communities.

I have used the information that I learned in the pedagogy program at CSU every day since I graduated, and it has helped me to get the jobs that I currently have. As a private teacher, primarily dealing with beginners and amateurs, I learned how to initiate a student, what materials are useful, and how to organize my lessons. Additionally, the pedagogy program has been an invaluable tool to organize sectionals, coach youth ensembles, and organize rehearsals in the professional orchestras where I've worked. Moreover, it gave me the basis to understand the methods and customs of the Public Education System. Thanks to this training, I can tailor my private lessons taking into consideration the goals and difficulties that my students will meet in their school orchestras. Right now, I am the cello and chamber music teacher at Southwestern College in Kansas, and I've used every day the tools and the feedback that I received from Prof. Thiem at CSU. The program helped me to understand several pedagogical concepts that are equally applicable to beginners and university level. Besides the aforementioned reasons, let me mention a few issues that I've encountered in the current job market: 1) After all the performance activities were canceled at the beginning of 2021, I had to rely solely on my teaching income. The pandemic has shown how fragile the orchestral institutions are, and how useful it is to be able to be qualified to do different types of jobs. The pedagogy program gave me the tools to keep making a life as a musician in these difficult times. 2) From a performer point of view, the exposure to different pedagogical approaches, the hands-on training, and the abundant feedback that I received from Prof. Thiem has helped me a lot in my instrument practice. I think that this program helps not only to become a better teacher, but also to become a better and more rounded musician. The way that the program is designed allows for a broad range of experiences that are impossible to get from instrument lessons only. 3) You should consider that even when CSU has a very good reputation and that the training that I received was top quality, CSU graduates enter a job market full of people that have diplomas from universities that have more fame and recognition. One of the equalizers in the hiring process is that not every school has a pedagogy program of this kind. Recruiters are looking for people that are equally capable as performers and teachers. This program is the proof of the existence of a skill that many people claim to have but have no means to corroborate.

My name is Joshua Greiner and I was a music education and cello performance/pedagogy major. The pedagogy program has furthered my technical knowledge on the cello in a way that lessons could not. Then, the next two semesters provided feedback on my teaching from a master teacher, every week. This has progressed my teaching by years that I would have otherwise had to figure out on my own. This gives the skill and knowledge to make a studio and support myself by teaching the cello.