2024 Trying on Teaching Application

Trying-on-Teaching is a special project designed to recruit pre-collegiate students to the music teaching profession. Oriented toward a social justice mission, Trying-on-Teaching (ToT) aims to cultivate an artistic disposition through music that enables young adults to develop an understanding of how the music-making process can reflect the world around them.

We believe that the best way to train music teachers is to provide authentic teaching opportunities while engaging in a community of reflective practitioners. By creating a program designed to meet these goals, a community of passionate, well-prepared teachers can be cultivated and developed to serve as the next generation of great music educators in our public schools.

Outstanding high school students (open to all grades) who participate in this three-month program during the Spring 2024 semester will get extensive musical experiences teaching over 150 young band and orchestra students during weekly rehearsals of the Colorado State University Middle School Outreach Ensemble (Wednesday evenings from 5:45-9:15 p.m., Jan. 31 to April 13). Under the supervision of undergraduate and graduate music education majors, high school participants will join a staff of more than 40 teaching artists that include CSU faculty, CSU music education graduate, and undergraduate students. With the assistance of master teachers, high school students work alongside undergraduate and graduate music education students to design, implement, and teach all aspects of the program culminating in a formal concert for parents, friends, and community members on Saturday, April 13. Participants also will be asked to attend a Saturday training seminar on Saturday, January 20, from 9 a.m. — 12 p.m., and the MSOE Carnival on Saturday, March 30 in the morning.

Please note that while this project is being implemented by music education faculty and students from CSU, ethical guidelines prohibit a direct link being made between this project and recruitment efforts. Our goal is simply to allow students to explore a potential career in music teaching regardless of which institution they ultimately may attend.

  • Part A

    Please provide your personal information and instrument.

  • Part B

    Check off the dates you can commit to attending (see times and locations below):
    Up to one absence from rehearsals due to your high school’s sanctioned musical events will be excused. Attendance at the final week session is required, as is attendance at all training sessions.
    Up to one absence from rehearsals due to your High School’s sanctioned musical events will be excused. Attendance at the final week 11 session is required as is attendance at all training sessions.

  • Part C

  • Please prepare a written statement briefly describing what you feel you could contribute to the middle school students you will be teaching, and, given your personal qualifications and experiences, and what types of benefits you would like to take away from your experiences in the Trying-on-Teaching program.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Part D

After submitting the above application form, please sign and return this commitment contract linked here. You can take a picture or scan the signed form. Please email the form to Jessica.Warner@colostate.edu.

Please have your high school band and/or orchestra teacher complete the Teacher Recommendation and Assessment Form.

Nightly Schedule:

• 5:50 p.m. arrival at CSU
• 6-8 p.m. Middle School student instruction in small and large groups
• 8-9:15 p.m. mentorship and debrief with CSU Mentors

Email Dr. Johnson: e.johnson@colostate.edu AND jessica.warner@colostate.edu with questions about this process or the program in general.