Denise Apodaca

Biography

Denise Apodaca earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, with a minor in Spanish, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Later, she graduated with honors from Northwestern University, receiving a Master of Music in Piano Performance and a Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy. Additionally, she completed a third master’s degree in education from Teachers College, Columbia University. As a first-generation student, she is pursuing her Doctor of Education in College Teaching in Music and Music Education at Columbia University.

She has been on the teaching faculties of The Chicago Academy for the Arts, where she was director of Instrumental Studies, Sherwood Conservatory of Music, DePaul University, Pasadena City College, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, and Front Range Community College. She served as a Board member for Beet Street in Fort Collins, Colorado. She founded and directed the Chicago Young Instrumentalist Program, served on the Leadership Council, was director of Early Childhood Programs, director of Class Piano, chair of Group Instruction, and chair of the Piano Department at Sherwood Conservatory of Music in Chicago, Illinois. She served as District Coordinator for the California Association for Professional Music Teachers. Denise has performed through-out the United States as a soloist and as a chamber musician. Demonstrating her expertise of Latin American music, she has given several concerts in Mexico. She has been an adjudicator for several area music teachers associations and has given several workshops on piano technology, piano pedagogy, piano performance, and early childhood music. She serves on the Early Childhood Council of Larimer County and was the Spanish Community Health Educator at UC Health and Bright Beginnings in Larimer County, Colorado for more than five years.

Denise served as Director of Student Success at the Graduate School, Piano Proficiency Coordinator, and Affiliate Faculty in Women's Studies at Colorado State University and has been honored with the College of Liberal Arts Excellence in Teaching Award and the Best Teacher of Colorado State University Award, which is given to outstanding educators at CSU by the CSU Alumni Association and Student Alumni Connection, her service to the CSU and Northern Colorado Community has been recognized with the College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Service Award and as a CSU Multicultural Distinguished Service Award nominee.

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Recent Activity and Recognition:

• Colorado State University Honors Professor of the Year 2019-2020
• College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Service Award
• College of Liberal Arts 2019 Excellence in Teaching Award
• Colorado State University 2016-2017 Best Teacher Award
  
• Grammy Music Educator Award Nominee
• College of Liberal Arts Excellence in Undergraduate Mentorship Award Nominee
• Multicultural Staff and Faculty Network Distinguished Service Award Nominee
• Career Impact Award Distinguished Faculty Member of the Year Nominee
• Nationally Certified Teacher of Music Music Teachers National Association (NCTM)
• Distinguished Honorary Member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS)
• Professor of the Month National Residence Hall Honorary
• Master Teacher of the Year Nominee Front Range Community College
• Director of Student Success Graduate School
• Executive Committee Graduate Center for Inclusive Mentoring (GCIM)
  
• Advisory and Cultural Committee Graduate Center for Inclusive Mentoring
• Graduate Center for Diversity and Access (GCDA) Faculty Mentor
• Faculty Council Committee on Non-Tenure Track Faculty
• Council for Gender Equity on the Faculty (CoGen)
• College of Liberal Arts Non-Tenure Track Advisory Committee
• National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD)
• Latino Alumni Association of Northwestern University (LANU)
• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
• National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC)
• Faculty Advisor Kids Do It All Todos Santos, Mexico
  
• CSU The Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT) Credit Recovery Course Redesign Committee
  
• School of Music, Theatre and Dance Undergraduate Music Curriculum Committee; Recruitment and Retention Committee
• M.A. and M.F.A. Graduate Dissertation Committees
• March to Education Honorary Presenter
• Faculty Advisor MEDLIFE, Friends of Palestine, Mosaic A Capella, Africans United, Generation Outreach, BASSIC A Capella, Sigma Tau Gamma, Omani Students Association; CSU Sigma Alpha Iota chapter Distinguished Member