Alina Taylor

Jan. 15, 2017

To Whom it May Concern:

Please accept this letter, which offers my strongest and most fervent support for Alina Taylor. Alina will serve as an incredible addition to the music education community. Alina sees the bigger picture of how to cultivate music and music education in the twenty-first century. In her four years as a student at the University of Arizona she has distinguished herself as a meaningful member of the music community. I hold the highest respect for Alina as a teacher, as a leader and team player, as a violinist, and as a fine human with wonderful personal and professional strengths.

Alina is an incredible teacher with great empathy, knowledge, energy, enthusiasm, and devotion to students. I started the String Project at the University of Arizona, and I invited Alina to serve as the lead ensemble teacher in this program. String Project is mostly taught by graduate students, and the fact that I selected Alina (an undergraduate junior) for her role speaks to her outstanding potential. She oversaw the music education of scores of children and coordinated her curriculum the seven other faculty members. She has been an incredible teacher and leader in this program: recruiting, designing curriculum, setting AND achieving goals, teaching a diverse group of students with wide ranging abilities in cello and large ensemble, and organizing concerts and rehearsals.

As a private lesson instructor Alina is outstanding. As part of the String Project Alina taught handful of violin students privately. I trust her in this capacity as her teaching ability is so strong. I have seen Alina teach in many capacities, and I can testify to her engaging ability to build rapport with students and to draw out a student’s best effort. Her students greatly respect her, and her classroom management skills are outstanding. I am also very impressed that Alina works hard to continually better herself as a teacher.

Alina is both a team player and a leader capable of graciously stepping up to lead when needed. As mentioned above, she served as a respected leader in the UA String Project. As a violinist, I coached Alina in a string quartet. In this setting I was most impressed with her presence as a pleasant colleague with her ensemble members. She knows how to follow, when to lead, and how to support others to create something whole that is greater than the sum of its individual parts. Whether as an orchestral player, chamber musician, student teacher, and member of the violin studio, Alina has been a valued member of the University of Arizona School of Music.

Alina is professional and hardworking beyond her years. She is dedicated to the importance of music and music education. She exudes a positive and professional presence and she radiates a love of music. I have greatly valued her presence in our school and I look forward to her work as she steps into her professional career. She is willing to go the extra mile including recruiting, and being proactive in the process of arranging concerts. Alina is prompt, accountable, and ready to work. But more importantly than that, she always brings the quality of a love of music and desire for excellence to everything that she does. That quality, which she holds in spades, is the quality that I value most in a musician.



Sincerely,

February 11, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to recommend Miss Alina Taylor for the position of music teacher.  Two years ago my mother in law bought my girls a piano with the condition that they take lessons.  Recognizing our girls’ love of music, my husband and I began searching for instructors.  We noticed that lessons were not cheap and weren’t sure if we could afford them, after all.  Then, my co-worker told me her daughter was a music student and provided piano lessons at reasonable price.  I called Alina and explained my situation, and she was willing to charge me much less than the going rate for lessons in order to share her love of music and nourish that passion in my girls.

During the lessons, I could hear Alina ask the girls to reflect on their playing.  She asked questions such as: How did that sound?  Where did you do well and where was it tricky? When the girls answered her questions, she ensured to build on their responses.  If they were at a loss for words, she never provided the answer; instead, she was ready with precise questions that guided them to the answers.  

In addition Alina, ensured to differentiate instruction keeping the girls’ interest and areas of refinement in mind.  She selected several musical pieces that were just challenging enough for the girls and allowed them to choose their next piece from those selections.  My daughters were rarely playing the same piece of music, allowing them to teach each other during their practice sessions at home.  

Alina was always very respectful and accommodating to my husband and me.  She provided updates on the girls’ progress regularly and was flexible when we could not make our regular lesson. When our friend was looking for a new piano instructor for his daughter, we did not hesitated to recommend Alina and he hired her.

Finally, Alina became more than an instructor to the girls; she became a family friend.  After each lesson, she had conversations with girls about their interest outside of music.  They had fun with her and always left their lessons laughing.  We were privileged to watch Alina’s performances, which were a concrete example for our girls of the heights they could reach with their hard work, dedication and love of music.

Sincerely,

Cruz E. Herrera

Elementary Teacher, TUSD

5131 W. El Camino del Cerro

Tucson, AZ 85745