UNIVERSITY

OF MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF MUSIC & DANCE

AMHERST
Fine Arts Center– 273 East voice: 413.545.2227
151 Presidents Dr., Ofc 1 fax: 413.545.2092
Amherst, MA 01003


February 20, 2018

Dear Members of the Committee:

I am privileged to write a letter of recommendation for Matthew Sypek. I am the Director of Wind
Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Matt was my student from 2016-2018 while
he completed his Master of Music degree in Wind Conducting. Over the past two years he has
made incredible progress with his conducting and rehearsal technique. He is ready to re-enter the
teaching field, poised to become a very successful secondary music educator and leader. Matt Sypek
would be an outstanding choice for your conducting/teaching position and his application deserves
your attention.

First and foremost, Matt is a kind and genuine person and a dedicated musician. As part of his
training here, Matt conducted every wind band on our campus: Wind Ensemble (mix of graduate
and undergraduate music majors), Symphony Band (primarily undergraduate music majors), Concert
Band (mostly non-music majors), and The Minuteman Marching Band (400+ students). With each
ensemble he developed skills to adapt his teaching style and bring out the best from the players,
from second-year graduate performance majors to freshmen undergraduate non-majors. He learned
to raise his musical standards for himself and the ensembles that he conducts, and he now clearly
outlines his expectations and goals to his groups. Matt’s graduate recital with the UMass Symphony
Band in February of 2018 was an entire concert of music he chose, studied, prepared, and
performed with a music major wind band – a rarity in graduate conducting programs. This
experience was transformative for Matt. It pushed him to be more demanding of himself and his
players. This was just the beginning of a new set of high standards that I know he will bring to your
school district and your music students.

In addition to his work on the podium at UMass, Matt was also regularly called upon to organize
large groups of people and solve complex problems. He is an organized, thoughtful leader and he is
capable of balancing multiple tasks well. Our 33rd Annual UMass Honor Band weekend was
successful this year due largely to Matt’s efforts. In February we hosted high school musicians from
33 different high schools from five New England states along with a guest composer/lecturer, and
fifteen high school teachers. Matt was integral to the planning process leading up to the event, and
he was charged with organizing and leading the 75+ UMass student volunteers on festival day. He
did a fantastic job, and numerous directors commented on how smoothly the events ran during the
festival. He also helped organize a similar project with the UMass Minuteman Marching Band.

Matt’s love of learning is one of his strongest characteristics. He is eager to keep growing and to
contribute to our profession. He is constantly looking for ways to improve the status quo, and I
have no doubt he will be able to help steer your band program in a positive direction. Matt is a very
sensitive and caring person. He works well with others, and he is a likeable leader. I know if he is
given the right opportunity, Matt will blossom into an excellent music educator that will make all of
us proud. Your students will love him and he will teach them to love music.

Please accept this recommendation with my highest confidence in Matt’s ability to make a difference
with your students, school, and community. I would be happy to speak with you via phone or email
if you would like more information. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help him
in this process.

Thank you for the opportunity of correspondence,

Dr. Matthew Westgate

Director of Wind Studies
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
151 Presidents Drive, 257 Fine Arts Center
Amherst, MA 01003
413.545.6056 (office) | 616.405.5712 (mobile)