Rochester, NY 14612
Ms. Sharon Fitzpatrick March 26, 2008
Fayetteville School District
Fayetteville, NC 30267
Dear Ms. Fitzpatrick:
I am writing in response to your advertisement for a General Music Teacher, elementary level, advertised
in Eastern Region Music Educator’s Bulletin. In May 2004, I will complete my student teaching
requirement at the Eastman School of Music, earning my Bachelor’s degree in music education and
violin performance. At the present time, I am seeking an elementary school music education position.
Professor Marcus Nylan suggested I write directly to you as he thought I was ideally suited to your
position.
In the past four years, I have received extensive training and varied teaching experience. In addition to
the required courses in string pedagogy, I have done supplementary work on cello and will be attending
the National String Workshop in Wisconsin this summer. For over three years, I have been an assistant to
the Rochester Youth Orchestra’s junior high group where I have been responsible for helping students
develop individually, leading sectionals, and rehearsing and conducting several works. For the past two
summers, I have directed a choir of high school students. Being responsible for musical preparation for a
group of sixty students and all aspects of production has been a challenge, but the experience has helped
mne develop my skills coordinating large groups of young people and focusing their energies on a
common goal.
During my senior year at the Eastman School of Music, I worked as a long term substitute in Music
Education at the School for the Performing Arts. My responsibilities in this position entail the
preparation and daily operation of classes for string and wind players grades 6 - 10, and the management
of the extracurricular String Ensemble. Though the school served a self-selected population, the skills I
gained in student motivation and curricula planning will enable me to make
the transition to a general
public school.
Please find enclosed a copy of my résumé. I am very excited about the opportunities your opening
presents and hope you will find me a candidate worth interviewing. I am confident that I have the
professional skills to meet the demands of your General Music Teacher position. As noted on my résumé,
my credential file is available on request from the Office of Career Services at the Eastman School of
Music. Feel free to contact me at your convenience if I can offer any additional information. I look
forward to hearing from you soon.
……………………
Commentary: Nearly everything about this letter says, “Professional.” Overall, what is impressive
is the tone and the attention to specific experience. The remarkable thing about this letter is that the
writer does not possess unusually extensive experience; her level of preparation is fairly common. But
because this writer is not hesitant to discuss her experience, the reader of this letter senses the
applicant’s confidence and preparation. The writer appears knowledgeable about what her experience
enables her to do. This is essentially what letter #3 was lacking.
There are parts, particularly paragraph 2, where the focus is a bit unclear and the organization
appears slightly random. The writer might have made the letter even stronger by using the second and
third paragraphs to establish her qualifications as a generalist as well as her leadership and
instructional experience. But everything an employer needs to know is included here.