March 24, 2022

To Whom It May Concern,

It is my pleasure to strongly recommend Mr. Austin Gilbert for the Choral Music position at
Broadway High School. Austin served as my student teacher at Page County Middle School. In my
four years of experience working in the music field, I have watched and collaborated with many
educators. Austin is one of the best young and rising educators I have had the pleasure to work
alongside.

During our time together, Austin displayed great talents including his professional demeanor,
developing positive student and colleague relationships, and his innate ability to foster young minds
through music. At Page County Middle, we teach both band and choir, giving Austin the opportunity
to show off his choral pedagogy skills. He was really able to help my students set and achieve
personal goals of extending their range, singing with quality tones, and sustaining and supporting
their voice while singing. He understood that every voice has its challenges and was able to cater to
the individual vocal needs while giving the entire group meaningful vocal tips to succeed. With his
high school, collegiate, and now professional experiences, Austin established a set routine that would
be successful in any choir classroom. He was also given the opportunity to help work with and
produce our Spring musical, showing his potential to handle this task with other colleagues.

Austin is always finding ways to make music a more relatable and comprehensible subject for
students of varying backgrounds. The majority of my music students are not only low performing,
but come from rough, low income households. Through his previous counseling, teaching, and
service experiences, Austin has made it his mission to grant all students with a rewarding and
life-changing musical experience. Though he excels at teaching music skills specifically, he finds
ways to relate lessons in music to applicable life skills. Austin truly inspires students to find and rise
to their greatest potential with his drive, optimism and empathy towards others. His ability to make
sure that everyone he interacts with feels seen, heard, and valued is unlike most others.

I am very confident that Austin would be a great fit for Broadway High School. Not only does he
possess the skills and experience you’re looking for in an applicant, but he will quickly become an
asset to your team and help the Broadway Music Program grow in any way possible. Please do not
hesitate to contact me if you need more information. I would be happy to further elaborate on my
time with Austin.

Sincerely,
Kendra Piscitelli