March 20, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with great pleasure that I write to support Ms. Eve Thomas teaching application.

In my current role as Assistant Professor of Music Education at Drake University, I have had the
privilege of working with and supervising Eve in three different roles: student, student teacher,
and President of Drakes National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Collegiate
Chapter. I would like to begin my recommendation by stating that in each of these roles, Eve has
demonstrated a work ethic that is organized, consistent, diligent, and of the highest quality
always performing at the very top of her class. In addition to her academic abilities, diligent time
management skills and professional leadership qualities Eve is a phenomenal musician and uses
her high level of musical performance skills to provide musically rich and creative classroom
environments. I believe that Ms. Thomas possess three important dispositions that all highly
successful music teachers utilize: 1) professional collaboration; 2) the ability to develop positive,
safe and productive learning environments; and 3) an expert level of musical content knowledge
and skill.

As the coordinator of the music education program at Drake, I am also the faculty supervisor for
the student-run NAfME chapter. Eve is our current NAfME president and under her leadership,
the chapter has set up a musical pen pals project with multiple Des Moines Public School
Elementary Schools. Eves passion to develop relationships with her students is evident through
this project, which she created and managed with very little guidance from me. I have observed
her collaborate with her colleagues and use distributive leadership strategies to assist in
accomplishing this service project.

During the Fall 2016 semester, Eve was enrolled in the course, Measurement and Evaluation in
Music Classrooms, in which I was the instructor. I was always impressed with her ability to
connect theory to practice and her level of preparation for each class was remarkable. A notable
quality of Eves work is her thorough understanding of how to infuse formative and summative
assessments into her instruction. In both written assignments and in-class discussions, Eve has
shared strategies in how she would construct formative and summative assessments as singing
games in elementary music classroom settings. Her ability to describe, design, implement and
analyze student data is far more advanced than what one would expect a first-year teacher to
possess. Her ability is due to her own experience teaching childrens choirs and her studious and
passionate curiosity about developmentally appropriate approaches for teaching music to young
children.

Drake University | Department of Music | 2507 University Avenue |

Harmon Fine Arts Center | Des Moines, Iowa 50311 |



Most of all, Eve is a problem solver. Throughout the past year, I have seen her thrive in
challenging situations. In each of these situations she sought out feedback, advice, and solutions
to solving conflict in an ethical manner that benefitted the students and the NAfME Chapter best.
I have no doubt that, if given the chance, Ms. Thomas will always put her students needs and
interests first while keeping the mission and school values at the core of her decision making.

Based on my collaboration with Ms. Thomas, I have observed how she relates well with people
(students, faculty, staff, parents and families), is highly organized, and responsible. She shows
great initiative in new projects and seeks out opportunities to receive feedback from her
colleagues, faculty, and mentor teachers.

I am fortunate to work with future music educators, school districts, administrations, and music
teachers from across the state. With this perspective, Ms. Eve Thomas is a standout and we are
very fortunate to have her as a (soon to be) music education alumnus of Drake. I sincerely
believe that she will be a leader in our field as we navigate these challenging and ever changing
times for our educational system.

I recommend Eve Thomas to your school district without reservation. Please feel free to contact
me with any questions.

Sincerely,

Lindsay Weiss, Ed.D.

Assistant Professor of Music Education
Coordinator of Music Education
office phone: 515.271.3195
music department phone: 515.271.3975
email: lindsay.weiss@drake.edu

Drake University | Department of Music | 2507 University Avenue |

Harmon Fine Arts Center | Des Moines, Iowa 50311 |