October 25, 2017

Dear Administrator and Human Resources Department,

I am writing this letter to recommend Andrew Heidorn for a music teaching position. Andrew Heidorns
legacy as a vocal music educator is only beginning, yet he has shown himself to be an incredible
musician, leader in the classroom, and passionate community member. He is qualified to teach K-12
music for all areas, and I personally have seen him teach in band and choral settings.

How does Andrew stand out? In our courses, Andrew mixes humor, professional composure, humility,
and high-level musicianship in such a way that all students seem to pay more attention to his lessons than
many other peers lessons. In our Band Techiques class last year and student teaching seminar this
semester, Andrew does not merely do reflection assignments, he creates in-depth, thorough reflections--
typically three to four pages each time--to really disect what went well in a lesson or assignment and the
specific steps to improve in the future. This is such a powerful indication of the self-reflective and
evaluative tools needed to be a successful musician and educator. As part of our outreach and practicum
component of Band Techniques, Andrew (a vocalist and NOT a euphonium player), chose to play
euphonium and was able to model and lead middle school students at Gridley Middle School on the
instrument in just a few short weeks. Andrew even successfully got this 72-piece beginning middle school
band to SINGduring classand be really excited about singing (not an easy feat for many band
directors to do with 11-year-olds)! He is an adaptable and flexible musician, which will make for a
wonderful teacher!

Andrew is also committed to community involvement. His volunteer work started in grade school through
church involvement, where he volunteered every summer from seventh grade to his senior year run
vacation bible school. In college, he joined the UAs CatCall A Cappella group, which performed
regularly at non-profit and philanthropic events held throughout campus and the greater Tucson
community, including "Out of Darkness suicide prevention walk, "MDA Muscle Walk of Tucson," and
the YMCA. As former president and music director of the student-led CatCall A Cappella, he frequently
reached out to local schools and arranged opportunities for outreach performances. He also served as a
Resident Assistant, where he not only got to work with and guide students daily, he created several
opportunities for his dorm residents to assist the Tucson community and non-profit organization,
including the "Tucson Clean and Beautiful" program to help eradicate the buffelgrass problem in Tucson.
Outside of his CatCall and RA volunteering, he additionally still volunteers with Tucson Clean and
Beautiful, the Pima County Buffelgrass Education Outreach Program, and the Community Food Bank of
Southern Arizona. As part of his commitment to student teaching and the families he now teaches,
Andrew is showing his students the importance of giving back to the community; he developed a program
offering discounted theatre tickets for families donating canned food, which he then donates to families in
need in the Flowing Wells School District.

With all my experiences with Andrew, he consistently goes above and beyond, but that is apparently not
unique for him! I have heard the same praise about him from UA professor Dr. Dave Ashcraft for choral
methods, from UA professor Dr. Sylvia Munsen for elementary methods, and from his mentor teacher
Chach Snook in the Flowing Wells School District in Tucson, AZ. Everyone who gets to work with
Andrew all seem to unanaimously feel he possesses the characteristics to succeed and make a difference
in the world of music and music education. He is a humble, genuine, easy-going, talented, and hard-
working individual. Despite being stretched time-wise with courses, ensembles, volunteering, and
teaching, he is incredibly generous with his time and dedication to each endeavor. I am continually
impressed with his ability to excel at teaching and performing while balancing healthy living and
community service. I am willing to offer more anecdotes and materials in support of Andrew Heidorn if
they would be helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact me and best of luck selecting your next music
educator!

Sincerely,

Dr. Karin Nolan

Assistant Professor, Music Education
Fred Fox School of Music, The University of Arizona
knolan@email.arizona.edu