Abigail Wiegand

wieganar@dukes.jmu.edu
abbywiegand.weebly.com

Please accept this letter in application to the XXX School. Currently, I am a senior at
James Madison University and will complete my degree in music education/piano with a
vocal concentration in May 2021.

Throughout my undergraduate studies, I have worked with all age levels K-12, and also served
as an undergraduate teaching assistant for the first-year course MUS 150, Introduction to
Technological Applications in Music Education. I have gained invaluable performance
experience as an accompanist for solo vocal performers and the University Choruses after
receiving the Annette Floyd Mayweather scholarship for choral accompaniment, as well as
through singing in highly auditioned JMU choral ensembles, specifically the JMU Chorale. In
addition to my course work and study in the field of music education, I have engaged in
teaching community programs such as Dance for Parkinson’s Disease, where I led music
classes and accompanied dance classes, as well as Dance to Empower, a program I pioneered
to teach music and dance to survivors of trauma and their allies. I have maintained musical and
teaching skills in a diverse set of areas throughout this time by playing the flute, the saxophone,
and the ukulele, as well as working as an assistant field instructor for the Baldwinsville Marching
Band in the summer of 2019.

When I embark upon my teaching career, I intend to be able to draw upon my experiences
in the areas of leadership, scholarship, musicianship, and engagement in order to create a
supportive learning environment that stimulates student growth and thoughtful, meaningful
musical expression. My classroom will be a "soft place to fall," a place where students are
not afraid to try new things, where they are not afraid to fail, and where they can allow
themselves to constructively express their authentic emotions and personalities. My
students will be encouraged to work diligently and strive for musical excellence and
individual growth, with the focus of the learning environment on both broader ideals as well
as music skills and learning. My music education skills, ensemble and piano studies, and
passion for teaching music have prepared me for a career in choral music. I would welcome the
opportunity to join the teaching community at this international school. I am excited to begin the
next steps of my career journey; applying within my first job the knowledge I have gleaned as a
music student and developing a classroom culture modeled after what I have experienced within
the music department at James Madison University.

In closing, thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully Yours,
Abigail Wiegand