Samantha Brown, (BME ’25), is about to have one heck of a summer. 

That’s because she was recently awarded a fellowship with the South Shore Conservatory Summer Music Festival Teaching Academy. Brown’s inclusion as part of the program is notable because many come from flagship institutions or schools known for excellence in music and education. 

“This fellowship will give me an opportunity to work with other future and current music educators who are excited to learn and further develop their skills. I will have opportunities to teach and observe in a capacity unlike anything I have seen yet,” she said. “I hope to spend a lot of time learning from the faculty and staff at the conservatory on the experiences they have had, and how they got to where they are now.”

The internship takes place weekdays July 10-25, and is a one-of-a-kind hybrid fellowship-internship program for collegiate instrumental music education majors, according to the website. 

The highly selective program enables fellows to:

- Supervised teaching of chamber music, sectional rehearsals, and large ensembles
- Group and individual teaching review sessions
- Daily reflection and growth meetings
- Teaching & leadership development sessions
- Related skill development (marketing, development, arts administration, etc.)

CSU Professor of Music Birch Browning said he could tell immediately that Brown was quite the leader in the music department.

“This fellowship is just a continuation of Sam’s excellent work at CSU. She will get to be mentored by amazing professionals and collaborate with other young music educators who share her same dispositions for implementing positive change,” said Browning. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Sam stayed in contact with some of her followship colleagues for the rest of her career.”

According to Brown, the extensive process included submitting a current resume with her music and teaching experience along with a cover letter detailing her desire to be a fellow and how it would be beneficial to her educational journey. That was just the tip of the iceberg, as a statement of teaching philosophy, letter of recommendation, online forms and a detailed list of her future goals rounded out the process. 

When it was all said and done, she had become the first fellow from an Ohio school.

“One of the most important ways the music program at CSU has set me up for success has been giving me as much time in the classroom as possible,” said Brown. “Between methods courses, observations, and student teaching, I have spent hundreds of hours in the classroom, better understanding different learning styles, classroom management, and better developing my own teaching style.”

Browning said that it has been very evident that Brown was prepared for this fellowship due to the work she’s been doing the past few years.

“Sam has been running sectionals within the CSU Wind Ensemble and she functioned as a force multiplier for my teaching work. I could plan for multiple groups to rehearse simultaneously, trusting that Sam would get the work done with the other students,” he said. “However, merely meeting expectations is not enough for Sam. She works to make both the process and the product better for everyone and seeks out opportunities to have impact.”

Following the fellowship, Brown plans to return to CSU for one more year to obtain a Certificate in Arts Management and Development, which would teach her about grant writing, theater management, financial management, and professional group/leadership communication. After the certificate, she plans on applying to schools to get her master’s degree in a currently undecided major. 

For now, she’s focused on a summer full of potential and was quick to give kudos to her mentors, Browning and J.C. Sherman, who have always motivated her to do better than her best.

“They taught me how to navigate the professional world of music in more ways than I thought possible,” she said. “I would also like to encourage others to apply for opportunities they feel may be out of their reach; you will be surprised how much you can accomplish when you put your mind to it.”