Elemental Music is proud to offer a paid teaching fellowship for college students in Southern California to receive hands-on experience teaching the young musicians in our ensemble programs. With the acknowledgement and understanding that children of all backgrounds should be able to look to the front of the classroom and see themselves reflected in their teachers, our Teaching Fellowship program was developed as a way to expand the pipeline of who has the opportunity to become a professional music educator and teaching artist.
After a very competitive application and selection process, we are delighted to introduce our fifth cohort of Teaching Fellows (one of whom is also an Elemental Music alum!):
Elemental Band
Hayden Hardy, Loyola Marymount University
Elemental Choir
Gianfranco Montelione, California State University, Northridge
Elemental Strings
Salma Tellez, California State University, Northridge
Elizabeth Yesilevsky, California State University, Long Beach
Under the direction of Teaching Fellowship Coordinator Miki Garcia, our fellows will work alongside our teaching artists for the entire season and be mentored by program directors. They will also participate in training sessions with our directors and special guests including Pola Benke, Music Director of the Santa Monica Symphony and Assistant Conductor of the Pacific Symphony, and Jim Wang, SMMUSD VAPA Coordinator.
We are looking forward to getting to know each fellow this season and are excited to see how each of their unique skills and experiences impact our programs and our students!