REFERENCES
HEIDI BEST
DIRECTOR OF CHORAL ENSEMBLES
FRANK SINATRA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
To Whom It May Concern:
I am very happy to recommend Zander Meisner for a teaching position. Zander was my student teacher For the spring semester of 2018, though he was hardly a student. He immediately exhibited professional knowledge in his craft and skill in teaching high school students.
Zander created an immediate rapport with the students, learning their names quickly and when he worked with them he was able to easily assess their level and what materials would be good for them to work on. He is actually one of the only student teachers that I have had in 20 years who was able to choose appropriate choral repertoire, rehearse it with the ensembles and conduct ensembles of varying levels in a performance.
Part of Zander’s appeal as an effective choral and voice teacher is his ability to model for his students not only as a gifted singer, but as an arranger. He led students in arranging their own piece for an acapella performance and he arranged a piece from The Band’s Visit which was a favorite for my Concert Choir and their audience on our Vocal Concert. In fact I will be using this piece in the near future.
I am excited for Zander and for his future students. I have been a cooperating teacher for most of my 20 years of teaching and I have not come across a student teacher so prepared, engaging and talented as he. I know he will be a wonderful fit in any vocal music position.
Feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Heidi Best
Director of Choral Ensembles,
Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Principal Conductor
New York All City High School Chorus
dr. elise sobol
DIRECTOR OF music education
new york university
To whom it may concern:
It is with great confidence that I give my highest recommendation to your school community for Mr. Alexander Meisner, NYU Master of Arts recent graduate (December 2018 Teaching Music All Grades with Initial Certification). This accomplished and most versatile musician combines exemplary teacher education preparation, musical skill and talent with current leadership and experience in working in a wide range of classroom settings, including general music, vocal and instrumental, large and small ensembles. This recommendation is given without reservation.
As his professor for Music for Exceptional Children, Mr. Meisner has designed, developed and implemented adaptive lesson plans to reach learners of all challenges at both the elementary and secondary levels. He is comfortable with diverse student populations including teaching students of other than the English language using music to enhance literacy in both general and special education. Serving on his thesis committee, Mr. Meisner has demonstrated that as an educator he is a reflective practitioner whose interests lie in excellence in process teaching for the highest learning outcomes for all students. As the NYU Director of Music Education and Coordinator for the Music Licensure Program, I can attest that this candidate is top of his class and will bring the best of music and standards-based music education to not only the New York City Department of Education network of schools, but also the New York State Department of Education network of schools. Mr. Meisner is a most prepared, enthusiastic, and gifted music educator with already a solid multi-faceted record of success in the music education and performance fields. Dedicated and loyal, he will be the role model which will inspire the lives of many students. An asset to your community, I know you will not want to miss the opportunity to give Mr. Meisner your most serious consideration to fill the open school music position on your faculty.
Should you have additional questions specific to your school district, please do not hesitate to contact me for further information about this extraordinary music educator.
Thank you. With all best wishes for the New Year.
Sincerely,
Dr. Elise S. Sobol
Director of Music Education
Visiting Associate Professor of Music Education
New York University Steinhardt School of
Culture, Education and Human Development
Department of Music and the Performing Arts Professions
dr. esther harris
choral director
packer collegiate institute
To Whom It May Concern
I’m writing to recommend Zander Meisner as a candidate for a teaching position at your school. I have known Mr. Meisner for 2 years from the Steinhardt Music Department at New York University where he was my student in my methodology class in the fall of 2017. As a student, he was full of energy when he taught his practicum lessons in class and his interactions with everyone in the program were professional and positive. During class he had an open mind and was always ready to learn more by practicing his teaching. He was organized and provided thoughtful feedback and comments to his colleagues in class. He was well prepared for his teaching and presented in a positive manner in and out of the classroom.
Currently in the fall of 2018, Mr. Meisner is my student teacher at Packer Collegiate Institute that he practices his teaching from grades 4 to 12. These are all choral classes with the emphasis of music literacy and ensemble performance techniques. He cares about students’ learning and continues to show creativity in lesson planning and improvement in his pedagogy. He shows a willingness to invite students’ own evaluation in each class.
Mr. Meisner’s willingness to expand his skills in choral conducting at NYU and conducts a vibrate private teaching studio is impressive. Beyond this he enjoys his teaching and I am amazed of his eagerness to continue improving his teaching
skills and learning as a music educator. He seeks quality repertoire, creates relevance strategies, and fosters a safe learning environment for his students.
I believe he will be a wonderful asset in your school. Please feel free to contact me if you have any question.
Sincerely
Dr. Esther Liu Harris
Adjunct Professor, Department of Music, Steinhardt New York University Choral Director, Packer Collegiate Institute (Grades 4 to 12)
Adjunct Professor, Music, Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY Faculty, Kodály Summer Institute, Steinhardt New York University
Faculty, Pre-College Division, the Juilliard School
MELISSA CAOLO
MANAGING DIRECTOR
CAMP BROADWAY
To Whom It May Concern:
I am pleased to submit this letter of reference for Zander Meisner on behalf of myself and the creative team members of
Camp Broadway with whom Zander regularly collaborates.
Zander has been a regular seasonal staff member for Camp Broadway’s programs for both our student workshop series as well as for our program titled Shining Stars for children ages 6 – 9. Zander was known to us as a Broadway performer and musician. Through our early conversations, we learned he was enrolled as a master’s Candidate at The Steinhardt School at NYU. Given Camp Broadway’s mission is meet kids of all ages and experience levels in the space between education and entertainment, we were very happy to find an individual who could bring these practices together through both experience and formal education.
One of my primary responsibilities at Camp Broadway is the identification of creative instructors for the company’s programs. Meeting a professional like Zander provides us with a talent asset that is not always easy to find in the Broadway community. There are many great performers, who we engage to work with the amateur young people served by Camp Broadway. Because of the specific and rigorous training of a musical theater performer, we often find the teaching component is an area in which we need to train performers. It’s a different but related skill to conducting a rehearsal, so when Zander came our way I was confident he could handle two of our most challenging programs (mentioned above).
I introduced Zander to the Workshop Manager (Kathy Campbell, who has recently retired) who included Zander in the roster of Music Directors. The challenges of this program are many; the students are often on a field trip planned by the teacher, so some don’t necessarily want to sing and dance; the students ages, interests and abilities vary greatly even within a single group and often require a bit of crowd control. Zander become a ‘go-to’ instructor quickly. His skills as an educator not only helped him cut through all the above and give the students a valuable 90-minute workshop, but he could also empathize and communicate with the teachers present, giving them confidence that this was not only fun, but a worthwhile educational experience.
In the Shining Stars program, it can be difficult to find instructors who wish to work with this age group. One of our challenges as a company is to identify professionals who can give the same respect to a group of 6-9 year-olds as is given to teen students in our pre-professional programs. Zander does not only this, but also cares for their parents. Often these young students are in programs like ours for the first time. For these reasons, they may have some behaviors that need to be managed in addition to learning to sing and dance. Zander leads this team in sensitivity and talent in this area providing a positive influence for staff members without the experience of an educator in this area. He does this while filling the role of Music Director teaching 5-6 songs over 5 half days culminating in a performance. The students have solos, perform in groups all with very minimal support from the adult performer in the show.
All of our team especially, Director of Shining Stars, Anna Raful as well as our Program Manager Barb Domue appreciate and have commented on not just Zander’s creative talent, but his work with parents and children interpersonally. The owner of the company, Susan Lee, who has seen nearly 1,500 artists come through Camp Broadway in the 25 years of operations, has remarked on Zander’s interaction with kids and families as well as the quality of the end product in the programs of which he has been a part. For me, in managing 50 seasonal creative staff members at our peak season each summer, Zander is positive, hard working and talented. I hope he remains on our roster of artists and educators for many years.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions or if I can provide additional information.
Best regards,
Melissa
moises cordero
director of elementary programs
manhattan youth
Zander Meisner served Manhattan Youth families as a Musical Theater teacher for over a year. Over the course of his tenure with our organization, Zander displayed a combination of passion for working with youth, an ability to receive feedback and put it into practice, and an overall facility to work with others. His behavior management strategies show a commitment to our organizations methods in helping students build confidence and inspire them to recognize their potential.
Yours in Service,
Moises V. Cordero
Director of Elementary After-School Programs
Manhattan Youth Recreation & Resources