By Nike Whitcomb
Hale Ascher VanderCook didn’t start out to create an internationally known College of Music. However, his love of the cornet and his vast experience as a composer and instrumentalist laid the foundation that 116 years later still teaches outstanding young people to be music teachers across Chicago, The United States and the world.
Chicago is fortunate to have VanderCook College of Music headquartered here. In fact, the Chicago Public Schools employ nearly 100 VanderCook graduates, and there are currently VanderCook alumni teaching in all 50 states in 21 countries around the world.
What is especially astonishing is that every VanderCook student has learned to play (and repair) 19 different instruments, as well as to sing, conduct, and teach students from kindergarten through High School, as well as college.
VanderCook is unique in that its programs focus solely on training music educators.
VanderCook is ONE of ONE in that its commitment to music education unifies the entire student body and faculty with a shared sense of purpose.
VanderCook is intentionally small. Its students are totally immersed in learning about how music is made, how instruments work, and how to teach others to have and devlop their own love of music.
Music fills the air at every hour of the day and night. Practice rooms in VanderCook’s buildings allow students to practice their art, so that they can competently teach others how to play a violin… or a piano… or a trumpet. In fact through several performance opportunities throughout the school year, VanderCook students perform, often with an instrument they had never played before they came to the college. They learn how to sing and compose, as well as work with music students at every age, from kindergarten through college.
Dedication is key here: Just imagine having never picked up a violin, then learning to play competently enough to participate in a fall concert just eight weeks after you started school. Think the same thing about trumpets, piano, clarinet, marimbas… or guitar. That is the miracle of VanderCook: not only do its students play, they play well, and their love of their music shows through at the numerous concerts and other performing events scheduled throughout the year.
VanderCook’s reputation is such that it also has an active master’s degree program that reaches another several hundred practicing teachers from across the United States throughout the year. Often as many as 1,000 active music teachers come to VanderCook for online and/or in person, learning to grow their own skill sets to take back to their classrooms.
VanderCook is about more than just teaching people how to be music teachers: it also has active outreach programs that serve the children of the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, which stretches from 31st Street to Pershing Road; the Dan Ryan Expressway to lake Michigan. Less than 10 years ago, VanderCook became home to its acclaimed One City program, which provides high quality musical instruments and outstanding instrumental music instruction at no cost to school children from Bronzeville, Englewood, Chinatown, and the surrounding neighborhoods. Many of these children do not have band or orchestra programs in their public schools, which makes One City their only opportunity to learn to play an instrument and be part of a performing group.
One City students and their teachers
One City’s flagship jazz program teaches trumpet, trombone, saxophone, piano, and electric bass to students in grades 5 – 8.
Daniel Flores, One City Music Instructor from 2020-2022, explains, “As a collegiate teaching assistant in the One City program, I learned so many things that I use every day now that I have graduated and am working as a music teacher. One of the best things about working for the One City program was the atmosphere: Everyone is very positive and ready to share their passion for music, especially the students!
“I love that the One City program allows for all of these students to participate for free. A lot of these students are from underprivileged communities that may not have music education programs in their schools. The students bring so much life to VanderCook every Saturday during One City. The sounds of conversations, laughter, and music flood through the halls of the school.
“The students are making long lasting friendships with other students, families, and teachers. They are also growing into leaders every single day they attend this program. They can inspire other students to make music, mentor students in their school programs, or even grow up to be music educators themselves.”
Flores now teaches at North Chicago Community High School.
One young female trumpet player in One City graduated from 8th grade and has gone on to play in the marching band at Marist Catholic High School on Chicago’s South side and several others have now made that transition as well, and have earned scholarships and/or placement at high schools including Mt. Carmel, St. Ignatius, Whitney Young, Jones College Prep and Walter Payton. The unique One City curriculum is based on the musical legacy of the Bronzeville neighborhood, which was once home to iconic musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Nat King Cole, Mahalia Jackson, and Muddy Waters. In addition to the jazz program, One City also began offering a drumline program in 2023 which now has more than 30 drummers, 5th through 8th grade.
The Drumline
“One City gave me a place where I could excel in music and express myself. The teachers really care about me and are passionate about jazz. I like helping out the younger students as I become more advanced, and I love the freedom I feel when I take a solo with the band. It has totally changed the path of my life. I want the saxophone to always be a part of my life, says 7th grader Titobi Olusanya.
In 2020, a Suzuki violin program for children as young as pre-Kindergarten was also begun. In addition to providing school children with the opportunity to learn to play an instrument, One City also serves as a laboratory school for VanderCook’s undergraduate and graduate college students, who gain valuable hands-on teaching experience in an expertly mentored environment, and 60 children now participate.
Because of Chicago’s vast reputation as a supporter of fine music, VanderCook also has many alliances with major performing groups such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Civic Orchestra. John Bruce Yeh, the longest serving clarinetist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has come for master classes and performances.
And VanderCook’s Advisory Board includes international musical standouts like violinists Rachel Barton Pine, Mads Tolling, and Patricia Dash, percussionist.
VanderCook’s faculty includes some of the best in the business. Ensembles and classes are taught by national leaders in the field of music education who bring a vast range of experiences as performers, conductors, educators, and music teachers. For example, Dr. Olivia I-Hsuan Tsai is Associate Professor of Piano and Music Theory and a 2024-2025 Fulbright Scholar. She frequently presents at conferences of the Illinois Music Teachers Association, Music Teachers National Association, and College Music Society, featuring music of Chinese and Taiwanese heritage. Her book, “Schubert’s Piano Trios,” was published by Scholar’s Press in Germany in 2014. Dr. Tsai has appeared as a soloist with QingDao Concert Hall Orchestra, Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and Highland Park Strings. She was the staff pianist of the world renowned Aspen Music Festival and Musicorda Music Festival in the US, as well as artist faculty/performer of Oficina Music Festival, Curitiba Music Festival in Brazil and Algarve Music Festival in Portugal. In 2018, she founded Yang and Olivia Foundation and organized a cultural exchange concert where she performed as part of the diverse and dynamic chamber group Momento Virtuosi, celebrating Qingdao’s Sound of Phoenix Grand Theater grand opening.
Another example of VanderCook’s esteemed faculty is Dr. Roosevelt Griffin, Co-Artistic Director of VanderCook’s One City Jazz Program. Dr. Griffin’s student-centered approach to music education has been adopted by educators around the world. His belief is that a unified band room is just as important as musical excellence, and when they are both combined, the results are life-changing. Dr. Griffin is the recipient of the John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year from Berklee College of Music and the Jazz Education Network; the Dr. William P. Foster Award for Community Development; the “Think Big” Outstanding Educator Award from the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic; the 2019 Men of Excellence Award from the Chicago Defender/Real Times Media; 2017 Jazz Educator of the Year from the Jazz Institute of Chicago; and Semi Finalist for the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Music Educator.
His transformative approaches have been highlighted in multiple publications including Eric Jensen’s Teaching with Poverty in Mind, Teaching Music Magazine, Downbeat Magazine, and JazzEd Magazine. Griffin co-authored Teaching Music through Performance: Beginning Jazz Ensembles and Rehearsing the Jazz Band.
These are just two examples of the level of excellence, accomplishment and leadership among VanderCook’s faculty. VanderCook’s faculty includes some of the best in the business. The average faculty member has a terminal degree in at least one instrument and each plays at least three instruments, and many have skills in music composition as well. Because of their backgrounds as teachers before they came to VanderCook, they offer a vast range of experience that they share with VanderCook students.
Budding trombone players
Three degree programs are offered at VanderCook:
Graduates with a Bachelor of Music Education (BMEd) are trained to have a thorough understanding of the methodology Pre K-12 music teachers use as licensed educators. This degree in music education focuses on instrumental, choral, and general music studies. .
Those with a Bachelor of Music in Performance and Pedagogy (BMped) study performance with world-class musicians while learning the fine art of teaching that includes the following:
- Develop well-rounded musicianship with diversity of performance and teaching opportunities, and apply the knowledge of stylistic interpretation, performance practice, and techniques acquired.
- Recognize various learning styles and describe challenges of teaching students of different ages, class sizes, and levels.
- Develop knowledge of pedagogical and standard repertoire, teaching styles and philosophy, technical approaches, and the use of technologies to provide appropriate teaching materials.
- Establish a private studio, website, social media presence, recording project, as well as networking and marketing skills.
- Complete an internship focused on the industry.
Bachelor of Music Pre-Certification (BMpc)
The music undergraduate major who wishes to complete certification at a later time may choose the Bachelor of Music Education Pre-Certification (BMpc) program. Two key differences separate the BMpc program from the BMEd program:
- BMpc graduates complete a minimum of 6½ fewer credit hours (no senior seminar hour requirement).
- Student teaching and licensure is not required.
Bachelor of Music students who temporarily forgo certification often choose the BMpc degree for several reasons:
- A desire to pursue graduate studies
- Pursuing a career in music education that doesn’t require licensure (paraprofessional, private lesson studio, etc.)
Vandercook has also played a major role with the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, held annually each December in Chicago. This conference offers guests interested in music education an array of clinics and exhibits, as well as access to music and teaching icons. The conference also focuses on industry trends and future topics in business and music education. With more than 18,000 attendees from all 50 states and more than 40 countries, The Midwest Clinic offers music educators and musicians alike an unmatched networking opportunity to build networks that will last throughout their lifetimes.
VanderCook’s spring fundraising concert, a Night at the Pops, is Saturday, April 26. For tickets, please go to https://cbo.io/pops/tickets
