In New Haven schools, teaching and learning go hand in hand for YSM musicians

Tuesdays are very busy for percussionist Chad Beebe ’25MMA. 

He starts his day at Worthington Hooker School, working with middle school students in back‑to‑back 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 studies for the entrance exams required for the DMA programs to which he’s applying, then returns to Worthington Hooker for jazz band practice. The day ends at Hendrie Hall, where he leads a salsa ensemble after‑school program and squeezes in a little more solo practice before heading home.   

Chad is one of three post‑graduate fellows and 58 School of Music students supporting YSM’s Music in Schools Initiative (MISI). Together, these teaching artists provide New Haven public school teachers with paraprofessional support, run after‑school music enrichment programming, and offer music mentorship. Chad first got involved with MISI in 2023 before he even started at YSM, when a friend told him about a teaching opportunity at MISI’s summer program, the Morse Summer Music Academy. He’s been part of the program ever since and has encouraged many of his studiomates to join the program as teaching fellows. 

The Music in Schools Initiative, which was started in 2007 through an endowment created by Yale College’s Class of ‘57, collaborates with the New Haven Public Schools to foster relationships between instructors and students while facilitating 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. 

“Music 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,” says Rubén Rodríguez, Director of YSM’s Music in Schools Initiative. “In a world increasingly shaped by screens and solitary digital experiences, music continues to prove its timeless value — building community, nurturing intelligence, and inspiring creative exploration.”   

That creative exploration means time in the classroom varies day-to-day and program-to-program. Teaching artists may support teachers’ existing lessons, provide specialized instruction for particular instrument groups, or offer one-on-one attention to students to help with specific techniques.  

MISI wasn’t Chad’s first foray into teaching. A music education major at the University of North Texas, he arrived with valuable student teaching experience. “It’s a boon for me,” he says. “I get to use the skills I learned in undergrad again.”  

But most teaching artists don’t bring such a background. While many may have taught individual lessons, classroom teaching presents a new challenge. To prepare everyone — regardless of experience — the cohort undergoes training before entering classrooms, ensuring they’re 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.  

“We’re collecting tools in our toolbox,” says Chad. “So that way, if we realize that the screwdriver doesn’t work for one student, we can pull out the pliers. And if the pliers don’t work, we can try a hammer. We just need to accommodate different approaches to learning.” 

For violinist Sory Park ’25MMA, another post‑graduate 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.   

“I can give advice on technique, but in the classroom, the teachers are the experts,” says Sory. 

Arick Lyde, Director of Bands at Nathan Hale, has been a MISI partner for many years. He says the partnership has been beneficial at the classroom and school level.  

“MISI has really transformed my program and inspired my students to give it their best shot when learning an instrument,” says Arick. “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.”  

More than a source of inspiration and extracurricular fun, MISI has had a tangible effect on day-to-day classroom dynamics as well.  Arick notes that chronic absenteeism across New Haven Public Schools is approximately 32%, but his class is an outlier, with a 97% attendance rate. “I attribute it to the MISI program and the students’ relentless desire to learn,” he says.  

He goes on: “I tell my students, ‘If you want to play like a pro, you have to learn from one first, so come to school every day and you will get there’ — and it has worked like a charm!” 

The impact is reciprocal, benefiting teaching artists as well.  

Sory says her time in the classroom has positively influenced her own playing and approach to practice. Spending so much time teaching fundamentals — skills that have become second nature since she began playing at age five — has made her more aware of her own technique.   

“Whenever I’m teaching the students about posture, I’m thinking, ‘Am I really doing this in my play?’” says Sory. “When I explain things during practice, like how to shift, it gives me a chance to reflect on things I haven’t had to think about for a while.” 

First launched in 2007, the Music in Schools Initiative has served dozens of New Haven public schools and more than 8,000 students. A recent gift from the Joel Foundation will allow the program to add an additional post-grad fellow, expanding its impact in the city. 

--  

The Music in Schools Initiative is supported by a gift from the Yale College Class of 1957.