<\/p>\n
Tuesdays are <\/span>very busy<\/span> for percussionist Chad Beebe \u201925MMA.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He starts his day at Worthington Hooker School, working with middle school students in back\u2011to\u2011back band classes. Stopping home between appointments, Chad fits in a quick practice session before heading out to Fair Haven School to work with another group of students. Afterward, he <\/span>studies for<\/span> the entrance exams <\/span>required<\/span> for the DMA programs to which <\/span>he\u2019s<\/span> applying, then returns to Worthington Hooker for jazz band practice. The day ends at Hendrie Hall, where he leads a salsa ensemble after\u2011school program and squeezes in a little more solo practice before heading home<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Chad is one of three post\u2011graduate fellows and 58 School of Music students supporting YSM\u2019s Music in Schools Initiative (MISI). <\/span>Together, these teaching artists provide New Haven public school teachers with <\/span>paraprofessional<\/span> support, run after\u2011school music enrichment programming, and offer music mentorship.<\/span> <\/span>Chad first got involved with <\/span>MISI in 2023<\/span> before he even started at YSM, when a friend told him about a teaching opportunity at MISI\u2019s summer program, the Morse Summer Music Academy. <\/span>He\u2019s<\/span> been part of the program ever since<\/span> and has encouraged many of his <\/span>studiomates<\/span> to join the program as teaching fellows.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Music in Schools Initiative, which was started in 2007 through an endowment created by YSM\u2019s Class of \u201857, collaborates with the New Haven Public Schools to foster relationships between instructors and students while <\/span>facilitating<\/span> students’ musical development through active music-making, performing, and responding to music. These programs cultivate a dynamic community between New Haven students, music educators, and Yale School of Music students.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMusic unites us in ways nothing else can. Through our programs, we create deep, authentic connections between New Haven Public Schools students, their dedicated NHPS music teachers, and the talented YSM teaching artists,\u201d says Rub\u00e9n Rodr\u00edguez, Director of YSM\u2019s Music in Schools Initiative. \u201cIn a world increasingly shaped by screens and solitary digital experiences, music continues to prove its timeless value \u2014 building community, nurturing intelligence, and inspiring creative exploration.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n T<\/span>hat creative exploration <\/span>means ti<\/span>me<\/span> in the classroom varies day-to-day and program-to-program. T<\/span>eaching artists<\/span> may support teachers\u2019 existing lessons, provide specialized instruction for <\/span>particular instrument<\/span> groups, or offer one-on-one attention to students to help with specific techniques.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n MISI <\/span>wasn\u2019t<\/span> Chad\u2019s first foray into teaching. A music education major at<\/span> the University of North Texas, <\/span>he arrived with valuable student<\/span> <\/span>teaching <\/span>experience<\/span>. \u201cIt\u2019s a boon for me,\u201d he says. \u201cI get to use the skills I learned in undergrad again.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But most teaching artists <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span> bring such a background. While many may have taught individual lessons, classroom teaching presents a new challenge. To prepare everyone \u2014 regardless of experience \u2014 the cohort undergoes training before entering classrooms, ensuring <\/span>they\u2019re<\/span> ready to support teachers and navigate a range of situations. Teaching practicums take place on Saturdays, with invited guests discussing pedagogy and offering pragmatic approaches to common classroom situations.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re collecting tools in our toolbox,\u201d says Chad. \u201cSo that way, if we realize that<\/span> the<\/span> screwdriver <\/span>doesn\u2019t<\/span> work for one student, we can pull out the pliers. And if the pliers <\/span>don\u2019t<\/span> work, we can try a hammer. We just need to accommodate different approaches to learning.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For violinist Sory Park \u201925MMA, another post\u2011graduate fellow, MISI marked her first experience teaching in a classroom. She currently provides paraprofessional support to teachers at Nathan Hale School. Sory articulates something echoed by many teaching artists: a deep reverence for the teachers with which they work.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI can give advice on technique, but in the classroom, the teachers are <\/span>the experts<\/span>,\u201d says Sory.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Arick Lyde, <\/span>Director of Bands at Nathan Hale<\/span>, has been a MISI partner for many years. He says the partnership has been beneficial at the classroom and school level.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>MISI has really transformed my program and inspired my students to give it their best shot when learning an instrument<\/span>,\u201d says Arick. \u201c<\/span>The teaching artists give the students a front row seat to professional-level performance and what they can achieve if they put in the time and effort<\/span>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n More than a source of inspiration and extracurricular fun, MISI has had a tangible effect on day-to-day classroom dynamics as well<\/span>.\u00a0 <\/span>Arick notes that chronic absenteeism across New Haven Public Schools is approximately 32%, but his class is an outlier, with a 97% attendance rate. \u201cI attribute it to the MISI program and the students\u2019 relentless desire to learn,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He goes on: \u201cI tell my students, <\/span>\u2018<\/span>If you want to play like a pro, you <\/span>have to<\/span> learn from one first, so come to school every day and you will get there\u2019 \u2014 and it has worked like a charm!\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The impact is reciprocal, <\/span>benefiting<\/span> teaching artists as well.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sory says her time in the classroom has positively influenced her own playing and approach to practice. Spending so much time teaching fundamentals \u2014 skills that have become second nature since she began playing at age five \u2014 has made her more aware of her own technique.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhenever <\/span>I\u2019m<\/span> <\/span>teaching<\/span> the students about posture, <\/span>I\u2019m<\/span> thinking, \u2018Am I really doing this in my play?\u2019\u201d says Sory. \u201cWhen I explain things during practice, like how to shift, it gives me a chance to reflect on things I haven\u2019t had to think about for a while.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n