Teaching over the summer with Youth Programs was a phenomenal opportunity to both work with other graduate students in the department and to build my resume in meaningful ways by interacting with our community in Davis. For me, teaching alongside other composers and musicologists always felt beautifully diverse, each one of us approaching and meeting the children’s needs in different ways. It was always fantastic to see how students would respond to getting encouragement from all of the teachers, and often the students in the room. Coming into contact with so many students was always a treat, and I miss the days when I got to hear students compose what a haunted house would sound like in the morning, followed by frisbee and freeze tag at lunch, and stellar performances of the student’s music in the afternoon.

—Joseph Vasinda

The camps provide an unusual blend of support and independence for teachers. You have a great deal of freedom in what you choose to teach, with the support a university can offer! As a former teacher, I love being part of an educational setting where the kids have so much choice and happiness within the structure of the camp curricula my peers and I have created. There is such a wonderful blend of instruction, exploration, and free social play. And of course, for us graduate students, it’s a great opportunity for both our resumes and our livelihood in the summer.

—Emily Joy Sullivan