Director of bands at Longs Peak Middle School in Longmont, Colo., Chad Lemons ’08 has forged a partnership with his alma mater to benefit middle school students in music.

Starting last year, CSU alumnus Chad Lemons ‘08 initiated conversations with Music, Theatre & Dance department chair Todd Queen to create the “Rams Teaching Rams” scholarship.

This annual award, paid for by Longs Peak Middle School, is given to a student at the school that meets the award criteria of dedication to music classes, possessing passion and interest for music, and modeling good citizenship as a musician and student. The scholarship pays for two 30 minute one-on-one lessons with a CSU faculty member and any materials requested by the professor.

“We are delighted to have this partnership with alumni like Chad in the community to reach out to kids and enhance music in our schools,” said Todd Queen.

This year’s winner, announced on Dec. 5, is 6th grader Peter Swope.

Receiving several nominations from his teachers, Peter plays percussion in Beginning Band and guitar in Jazz Band and will study with CSU’s director of percussion studies Eric Hollenbeck. Previous CSU professors who have served as participating instructors include Michelle Stanley and Robert Brewer.

“I wanted a way to connect professional musicians and collegiate professors to middle school students who wouldn’t normally have an opportunity to work with professionals of such a high caliber,” said Chad.

“The staff at Longs Peak Middle School goes out of their way to make education an exalted experience for the students. This is one way I can meet those expectations as a member of the school community.”

Chad studied Music Education at CSU where his primary instrument was trombone, studying with both Dr. Robert Brewer, as well as Professor Greg Harper.

During his time at CSU, Chad was heavily active with the Wind Ensemble & Symphonic Band, playing trombone. He also became very involved in percussion during his freshman year thanks to Eric Hollenbeck, which led Chad to also play percussion in Concert Band and the CSU Marching Band.

“I absolutely loved CSU and the city, so I did my student teaching in Fort Collins at Timnath Elementary with Karen Nuttall and Fossil Ridge High School with Daniel Berard,” said Chad.

“And after five fulfilling years at CSU, I am now in my fourth year of teaching at LPMS and was so excited to create a partnership with CSU for the advancement of quality education in our schools.”

Longs Peak Middle School was recently announced as one of 19 schools to win the Colorado Centers of Excellence Award. Each year, the Colorado Department of Education recognizes public schools in the state that enroll a student population of which at least 75 percent are at-risk pupils and that demonstrate the highest rates of student longitudinal growth, as measured by the Colorado Growth Model.

“We are constantly looking for ways to encourage our students to focus on their post high school future,” said LPMS principal Timothy Bishop. “This partnership has given our students the ability to believe they can continue to play their instruments and participate in band beyond high school.”

“They really feel like the sky is the limit for their future,” continued Bishop. “I want to thank both Mr. Lemons and Colorado State University for putting their resources into this program. It does make a difference in the lives of our students.”

The University Center for the Arts at Colorado State University provides an enriched venue in which the study and practice of Art, Dance, Music and Theatre are nurtured and sustained by building the skills and knowledge needed by future generations of arts professionals to become contributors to the essential vitality of our culture and society. During the 2013-2014 season, the UCA celebrates its fifth anniversary and features several celebratory events that highlight connecting our campus and community with impactful arts. For more information, visit UCA.Colostate.edu.