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Any successful teacher will tell you he or she听could not听do the job well without empathy. Understanding the 鈥渨hy鈥� behind听students' struggles is the first step in helping them听overcome challenges and truly learn,听a lesson that has really begun to hit home for Robert Hjelmstad and the other College of Music students taking part in the Piano for Dreamers program.

"I鈥檝e taught for eight years now in different settings. But whenever I teach kids who wouldn鈥檛 have access to music under normal circumstances, I鈥檓 not only sharing the joy of music but of something they鈥檝e been excluded from. Teaching a different population gives me more tools in my arsenal as a teacher."

Hjelmstad is the doctoral student instructor for Piano for Dreamers, a program started last year by Associate Professor of Piano Pedagogy Alejandro Cremaschi. With help from a grant from the university Office of Outreach and Engagement, Piano for Dreamers partners with the to offer a no-cost weekly piano class to low-income elementary school students.

鈥淩esearch shows that kids who learn music at a young age have higher grades and stay in school,鈥� Cremaschi says. 鈥淭his is opening up new possibilities for children who might not be able to afford lessons otherwise.鈥�

This year鈥檚 class, a group of 12 fifth graders from Longmont,听includes some returning students from last year. The "I Have a Dream" Foundation鈥檚 model places the same coordinator with the same cohort of students from kindergarten through high school.

The goal of the classes is to provide an introduction to reading music and playing the piano, as well as music theory and music history.听During class time, Hjelmstad and his undergraduate student assistant, senior Abby Hesse, work with students on rhythm, sight reading, improvisation and ensemble playing.

Though the university grant allowed Piano for Dreamers to purchase keyboards for the students to take home, Cremaschi says they often do not practice on their own鈥攎aking in-class instruction all the more important.

Cremaschi explains, 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have as much time to practice听because maybe their parents are working several jobs, so we found that some of our regular methods weren鈥檛 working as well. We had to tailor the teaching to meet them where they were and create activities that would reinforce and revisit concepts.鈥�

Hjelmstad, who has taught in programs like this before, says that once he changed his expectations鈥攕tarting with clapping rhythms instead of pushing keys鈥攊t clicked.

鈥淢ethod books that we use to teach piano are progressively graded, so I had to throw that out the window, because these kids aren鈥檛 going home and practicing after lessons. All that鈥檚 done in the classroom.鈥�

鈥淚 started playing piano when I was 7, and my dad played piano, too, so he was there to steer me in the right direction,鈥� Hjelmstad says. 鈥淸The Piano for Dreamers students]听are playing some of the same pieces I used to play, but they bussed 45 minutes to get here and play for 50 minutes a week with 10 other kids. It鈥檚 so much harder鈥攂ut they鈥檙e still doing it.鈥�

Cremaschi鈥攐ne-time chair of the College of Music鈥檚 diversity committee and winner of the 2015 Faculty Award for Equity and Excellence from the Office of Outreach and Engagement鈥攕ays the weekly class is eye opening for both teacher and student.

鈥淢any of the children are minority students, often Hispanic,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e need more of an awareness in the college of things we could do with populations we haven鈥檛 served in the past. The concert we did last year with El Sistema at Boettcher is an example of the benefit of that outreach.鈥�

Adds Hjelmstad, 鈥淭here are a lot of lessons to be learned about sticking with something and determination. We deal with some frustration in there. But by the end of the semester, the students feel like they鈥檝e accomplished something, and that鈥檚 great to experience.鈥�

And as Cremaschi looks toward expanding Piano for Dreamers in the future, he says he hopes his colleagues will follow his lead.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just the right thing to do for the community, it helps open up new teaching possibilities for our students. In terms of instrumental pedagogy, I hope my colleagues understand that serving pre-college kids is helpful for our students as well.鈥�