Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Freelancing Volunteering Experience
Organization Memberships
Timeline
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Joshua Stefans

Joshua Stefans

Music Teacher
Mokena,IL

Overview

9
9
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

General Music/Art Teacher for Grades 4-5 - Tenured

Peotone Intermediate Center
Frankfort, IL
08.2023 - Current
  • Created a new general music curriculum for two grade levels, which incorporates lessons in the Elements of Music, pitch and rhythm identification, practicing music reading skills, and singing as a group.
  • Created a new art class curriculum for two grade levels, which incorporated projects with different artistic techniques such as the Elements of Art and the Principles of Design.
  • Prepared students for Winter Concerts where they performed Holiday-themed Music.
  • Restarting a Band program that had been on hiatus due to staffing changes.
  • Restarting a long-dormant Choir program.
  • Effectively incorporated technology into music making with the use of Quaver Music.
  • Effectively incorporated a ukulele curriculum for students to learn and perform music on ukuleles.
  • Assisted as Music Director in a grades 4-8 production of Matilda Jr.
  • Coordinated logistics for events such as concerts, singing opportunities at Chicago Wolves games, and trips to Six Flags Great America.
  • Effectively managing students and maintaining a well-structured classroom.
  • Awarded tenure in 2026.

Part-Time Beginner Guitar and Vocal Instructor

Down Home Guitars
Frankfort, IL
01.2024 - Current
  • Provides guitar lessons for beginning guitarists with an emphasis on proper technique.
  • Provides voice lessons to students with an emphasis on proper vocal techniques and music theory.
  • Acquired a repertoire of solo pieces for singers for young children, adolescents, and adults.
  • Provides students with solo piece suggestions to help them achieve their goals and focus on advancing their technical skills.
  • Built a rapport with students and family members of students to foster growth and trust.
  • Encouraging students to perform live, which helps them gain confidence.

General Music Teacher for Grades 6-8

Colin Powell Middle School
Matteson, IL
08.2021 - 08.2023
  • Created a new general music curriculum for three grade levels as a first-year teacher, which included instruction on the elements of music, the history of Jazz, sampling in music, reading notated music, instrument families, and instructing the basics of Guitar.
  • Restarted a Choir program that had been on hiatus due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
  • Effectively incorporated technology into music making with the use of SoundTrap for which I became a certified SoundTrap Educator (Level 2).
  • Prepared the CPMS choir for six performances in one school year.
  • Differentiated and translated instruction for English Language Learners.
  • Effectively managing a classroom and creating a rapport with parents by communicating about their child's progress.

Classroom Instructional Paraprofessional

Grand Prairie Elementary School
Frankfort, IL
02.2021 - 08.2021
  • Assisting students with academic support at the Kindergarten level.
  • Prioritizing the needs of students with IEPs at the Kindergarten level in order to provide accommodations that are appropriate to their specific needs.
  • Collaborating and communicating with multiple teachers in order to collect data and track the progress of students with IEPs.
  • Observing and addressing student behaviors while providing appropriate forms of reinforcement and prompts when needed.
  • Gaining knowledge and on-the-job experience in classroom management at the Kindergarten level.

Student Teacher in directing the school Choir

Gompers Junior High School
Joliet, IL
11.2020 - 12.2020
  • Co-directed and independently directed the choir at the secondary level.
  • Selected pieces that were appropriate to the choirs' skill sets to ensure success, as well as to garner more knowledge of choral literature.
  • Ran sectionals and provided constructive feedback so sections may improve.
  • Planned out lessons for general music classes at the secondary level.
  • Co-taught and independently taught general music classes at the secondary level.
  • Translated and modified class content for students who are English Language Learners.

Student Teacher in Elementary General Music

Spencer Pointe-Crossing Schools
New Lenox, IL
08.2020 - 10.2020
  • Co-taught and independently taught general music classes within the grade levels of first through sixth.
  • Created original lessons modeled from the Orff and Kodaly approaches to music education.
  • Accompanied students on guitar during their daily welcome songs.
  • Gained valuable knowledge and experience in classroom management styles at the elementary level.
  • Incorporated technology into music education at the elementary level.

Paraprofessional

Lincoln-Way East High School
Frankfort, IL
08.2017 - 08.2020
  • Assisted students with various physical disabilities in order to provide accommodations and differentiation that were appropriate to their specific needs.
  • Assisted and cooperated with teachers in both general and special education classrooms to provide support and direction to students in accordance with their individualized education plans.
  • Supervised students to ensure their safety and provide intervention when needed.
  • Adapted several curricula with teachers to allow students with learning or physical disabilities an equal chance to succeed.

Independently Contracted Private Voice Instructor/Assistant Musical Director

All About Music Inc.
Mokena, IL
06.2018 - 03.2020
  • Facilitated my very own small voice studio.
  • Provided voice lessons to students with an emphasis on proper vocal techniques and music theory.
  • Acquired a repertoire of solo pieces for singers for young children, adolescents, and young adults.
  • Assisted in All About Music's summer musical camps' production of The Lion King Jr.

Assistant Director for Lincoln-Way Central Madrigal Singers

Lincoln-Way Central High School
New Lenox, IL
08.2018 - 12.2019
  • Led sectionals for two of three madrigal singing groups.
  • Provided constructive feedback to help the groups improve their tone and quality.
  • Accompanied students on the piano to solidify their pitches.
  • Assisted in running the backstage logistics of the madrigal dinners.

Cantor/Chorister

St. Joseph's Catholic Church
Rockdale, IL
02.2018 - 07.2018
  • Chanted Gregorian Chants in Latin during Sunday Masses.
  • Sung as a chorister in the church's chamber choir.
  • Assisted the director by organizing effective rehearsals, pitching ideas to improve the choir and cantoring, and leading the other choristers and cantors by example.
  • Volunteered to become interim director while the director was on leave.

Education

K-12 Music Education Teaching Licensure - undefined

Trinity Christian College
01.2021

Bachelor of Music - Voice Performance, Psychology

Illinois State University
05.2017

Skills

  • Music theory
  • Aural skills
  • Sight-singing technique
  • IPA symbols
  • Foreign language diction
  • Classical singing techniques
  • Choral singing techniques
  • Choral repertoire
  • Western music history
  • World music genres
  • Piano
  • Guitar
  • Ukulele
  • Choral Conducting
  • Orff Schulwerk
  • Orff Instruments
  • Kodaly Method
  • Solfege
  • Windows 10
  • Flipgrid
  • Screencastify
  • Voicethread
  • Wevideo
  • Seesaw
  • Zoom
  • Google Classroom
  • Google Docs
  • Google Drive
  • Google Forms
  • Google Sites
  • Google Sheets
  • Google Slides
  • YouTube Music
  • Flat for Docs Chrome Extension
  • Qauvermusiccom
  • SoundTrap
  • Musicplaycom

Certification

  • ILTS Music 212 Content Area Exam: Passed
  • Certified SoundTrap Educator-Level 2

Freelancing Volunteering Experience

Freelancing singer, 2013-05-01, Present, Sang weddings, funerals, and national anthems., Production Assistant, 2018-07-01, 2018-07-31, Assisted backstage during a community theater's production., Lead role in Curtain Call Theater's summer stock production of Working, Mokena, IL, 2019-05-01, 2019-07-31, Chorister in St. Mary's Catholic Church's production of Dubois' Seven Last words of Christ, Mokena, IL, 2017-12-01, 2018-04-30, Party scene dancer in Ballet 5:8's production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, Frankfort, IL, 2017-10-01, 2017-12-31

Organization Memberships

  • Member of the Illinois Digital Educators Association (IDEA)
  • Alumni member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity
  • Member of the Illinois Grade School Music Association for District 6

Timeline

Part-Time Beginner Guitar and Vocal Instructor

Down Home Guitars
01.2024 - Current

General Music/Art Teacher for Grades 4-5 - Tenured

Peotone Intermediate Center
08.2023 - Current

General Music Teacher for Grades 6-8

Colin Powell Middle School
08.2021 - 08.2023

Classroom Instructional Paraprofessional

Grand Prairie Elementary School
02.2021 - 08.2021

Student Teacher in directing the school Choir

Gompers Junior High School
11.2020 - 12.2020

Student Teacher in Elementary General Music

Spencer Pointe-Crossing Schools
08.2020 - 10.2020

Assistant Director for Lincoln-Way Central Madrigal Singers

Lincoln-Way Central High School
08.2018 - 12.2019

Independently Contracted Private Voice Instructor/Assistant Musical Director

All About Music Inc.
06.2018 - 03.2020

Cantor/Chorister

St. Joseph's Catholic Church
02.2018 - 07.2018

Paraprofessional

Lincoln-Way East High School
08.2017 - 08.2020

K-12 Music Education Teaching Licensure - undefined

Trinity Christian College

Bachelor of Music - Voice Performance, Psychology

Illinois State University
Joshua StefansMusic Teacher