504 South Mason Street

Harrisonburg, VA 22801
May 5, 2020

Mr. Jones, Principal

Eastside Middle School
Eastside, VA 22801

Dear Mr. Jones:

I am writing in response to the job listing I found on the county website for the instrumental music teacher
position at Eastside Middle School. As a senior music education major with an honors interdisciplinary studies
minor at James Madison University, I have accumulated experience and skills from classes and independent
study projects that make me fit for this position. The music program at Eastside Middle School described in the
job listing contains opportunities for growth, exposure, and variety, both for me and the students, in our musical
experiences.

As a music teacher in today’s diverse society, I believe it is my role to foster a safe, creative musical
environment through collaboration and discussion. Students should learn basic melodic and rhythmic skills as
well as how to create, improvise, and perform music. As their teacher, it is my responsibility to push them to
achieve their potential to be innovative and critical thinkers who know and understand music from history.
When students are growing towards this, they can apply that knowledge and respond to the impactful music
occurring in today’s society meaningfully.

Eastside Middle School contains a diverse population of students that I am equipped to connect to and
encourage. For example, I received an undergraduate research grant that provides opportunities for students of
all ages and backgrounds to use music as a means of expression and as a point of meaningful discussion for
difficult topics such as cultural diversity. I would incorporate the research and classes that I taught about
diversity, songwriting, and identity in the classes at Eastside Middle School as a way to engage the students in
music making. We would begin by writing “I Am” poems as a foundation for lyrics, and then add melodies to
form songs about themselves.

Through my honors interdisciplinary studies minor, I learned more about service through their area of emphasis.
During my time in this track, I was educated on service that is active - understanding what engaged and
informed citizenship looks like in our surrounding community and identifying underlying causes that are the
root of inequality. I plan to use this knowledge and my connections to develop students that are not only
musically aware, but civically aware and engaged.

I would like to have an interview with you to further discuss my ideas and plans for the future of the music
program at Eastside Middle School. Enclosed is a resume that further outlines my qualifications for this
position. Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you. I can be contacted
at davina.miaw@gmail.com or 571-393-8036.

Sincerely,

Davina Miaw