The Donald K. Walker '26 Scholarship Fund
Music in Schools Project
The 1957 Yale Bowl Portal Project (Final Report)
Dwight Hall Summer Fellowships

The Donald K. Walker '26 Scholarship Fund

The Donald K. Walker '26 Scholarship Fund was created at the Class of 1957's 25th reunion, the brain child of classmate Bill Wrean. Don Walker was a senior member of the undergraduate admissions office when our class applied to Yale, and he interviewed many of us as candidates for admission. He was also a resident fellow of Calhoun College and through that he stayed in touch with many of us during our four years in New Haven.

Early gifts to the Walker Fund and principal appreciation since then have generated enough money so that income from the Fund currently can support full scholarships for four Yale undergraduates. The Fund is part of Yale's permanent endowment, and the Fund will exist in perpetuity. Gifts to the Fund are credited to the amount the class gives to Yale during the five years leading to each reunion.

Donald K. Walter Scholarship Recipients, 1983-present

2019-2020
Crystal L. Nieves Garcia '21
Elliott D. McElwain '22
Andy Tang '24
Christine Zhu '23

2018-2019
Elliott D. McElwain '22
Crystal L. Nieves Garcia '21
Oscar Victor Taperell '23
Christine Zhu '23

2017-2018
Elliott D. McElwain '22
Spencer J. O'Neill '20
Mary E. Barnett '21
Crystal L. Nieves Garcia '21

2016-2017
Luis Patino '18
Spencer J. O'Neill '20
Mary E. Barnett '21
Crystal L. Nieves Garcia '21

2015-2016
Marcus Downs '19
Luis Patiño '18
Lillian Bitner '17
Amanda Farrell '16

2014-2015
Luis Patiño '18
Lillian Bitner '17
Amanda Farrell '16
Cyrus Nguyen '15

2013-2014
Lillian Bitner '17
Amanda Farrell '16
Cyrus Nguyen '15
Kathleen Addison '14

2012-2013
Anya Cekaukas '13
Kristopher Harvey '13
Kathleen Addison '14
Alexander Saeedy '15

2011-2012
Alexander Saeedy '15
Kathleen Addison '14
Anya Cekauskas '13
Kristopher Harvey '13

2010-2011
Kathleen Addison '14
Anya Cekauskas '13
Kristopher Harvey '13
Chad C. Costello '11

2009-2010
Anya Cekauskas '13
Kristopher Harvey '11
Elizabeth Epstein '11
Chad C. Costello '11

2008-2009
Chad C. Costello '11
Molly J. Kim '09
Jarrett M. Drake '09
Michael B. McLeod '09

2007-2008
Chad C. Costello '11
Molly J. Kim '09
Jarrett M. Drake '09
Michael B. McLeod '09

2006-2007
Molly J. Kim '09
Jarrett M. Drake '09
Michael B. McLeod '09
Michelle Gosselin '07

2005-2006
Andrew Burke '06
Jarrett M. Drake '09
Michael B. McLeod '09
Michelle Gosselin '07

2004-2005
Andrew Burke '06
Robert D. Carr '05
Eric M. Diamond '05
Michelle Gosselin '07

2003-2004
Andrew Burke '06
Matthew Murray '07
Robert D. Carr '05
Eric M. Diamond '05

2002-2003
Matthew W. Lewis '03
Robert D. Carr '05
Eric M. Diamond '05

2001-2002
Matthew W. Lewis '03
Robert D. Carr '05
Eric M. Diamond '05

2000-2001
Matthew W. Lewis '03
Rashad Bartholomew '01
David Farrell '03

1999-2000
Matthew W. Lewis '03
Rashad Bartholomew '01
David Farrell '03

1998-1999
Kenneth Marschner '99
Scott Benton '99

1997-1998
Kenneth Marschner '99
Scott Benton '99

1996-1997
Kenneth Marschner '99
Scott Benton '99

1995-1996
Kenneth Marschner '99
Scott Benton '99

1994-1995
Raymond Rast '95

1993-1994
Raymond Rast '95

1992-1993
Raymond Rast '95

1991-1992
Raymond Rast '95

1990-1991
William McSwain '91

1989-1990
William McSwain '91

1988-1989
William McSwain '91

1987-1988
William McSwain '91

1986-1987
Steven Provenzano '90

1985-1986
Ardel McKenna '86

1984-1985
Ardel McKenna '86

1983-1984
Ardel McKenna '86

The 2020 complete report about recent Walker Scholars from Cynthia A. Mariani, Yale's recording secretary, to Don Roberts, is available here.

Music in Schools Project

The Music in Schools Project has its own website. Click here to enter it.

For a map of the location of all Music in Schools fellows for years 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013, click here.

2021 Report

2020 Report

Yale School of Music staff:
Robert Blocker - Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of Music at Yale University
Michael Yaffe - Associate Dean- Overall MISI Program Director (Retired October 31, 2021)
Ruben Rodriguez - Director New Haven Music in Schools Initiative
Rachel Glodo - Program Specialist
Esther Woo - Administrative Assistant

Yale Class of 1957 Members of the Music in Schools Advisory Committee:

Peter Capra
Thomas Chittenden
Merrell Clark
Rodney Correll
Leonard Katz
Bernard Kosto
Malcolm Mitchell
Morris Raker
Phillip Richards
Donald Roberts
Robert Smith
Nicholas Tingley
Robert Walker
John Watling
Stephen Wittenberg

Yale Class of 1989 Members of the Music in Schools Advisory Committee:

Dawn Bravata
Karen Dubois-Walton
Juliette White Hyson
Adam Kosto
James Lockman
Alison Wittenberg

Associate Dean Michael Yaffe’s Retirement:

Associate Dean Michael Yaffe, MISI Program Director for the past 15 years, retired on October 31, 2021. There is general agreement that Michael expanded both the vision and the accomplishments of the Music in Schools Initiative far beyond anyone’s expectations. Accordingly, at the last Music in Schools Committee meeting, he was presented with a plaque which read:

In addition, on October 28, the Yale School of Music held a celebration of Michael’s leadership with presentations by colleagues, teaching artists, former participants in the MISI program and Dean Blocker. I gave a short presentation on behalf of our Class. Speeches were interspersed with actual musical pieces played or sung by Music in Schools students. What came through was the affection everyone had for Michael, the esteem in which he was held, and the gratitude of the many people he mentored. Dean Blocker announced the creation of the Yaffe Postgraduate Fellowship for a Music School graduate who will acquire training and experience in running a program similar to ours. This Fellowship will be endowed and is open to contributions from class members as well as receiving funds from other sources.

Leadership of the Program is in transition. Ruben Rodriguez will continue to lead the New Haven Public School Music Program. Ruben is loved throughout New Haven. Those who have seen him work with the children have witnessed his great talent, skill and dedication. Rachel Glodo will take charge of the biennial symposia. Rachel, too, is dedicated, talented, imaginative, and has been heavily involved in the creation of the symposia over these last years. Other leadership appointments may be made by Dean Blocker.

New Haven Program:

Sixty Teaching Artists, mainly Yale School of Music students, with a few undergraduates and a few graduate students, work with 37 New Haven Public School teachers, bringing musical opportunities to children who otherwise would not have a chance at an active music life. The school- year program is supplemented by the Morse Summer Program supported by a gift from the Morse family. There is great demand for expansion of the school-year program, but the staffing to do this is limited by current funds. Even though the endowment has grown dramatically, the program can only draw about 4.5%/year and this amount is used to pay teaching artists, as well as Ruben and Rachel, symposium costs, certain spaces and materials, and visiting professor Sebastian Ruth.

The 2021 Symposium:

The 2021 Symposium was held virtually. It was entitled “Equity and Opportunity: Advancing Music Learning Ecosystems” and involved presentations by a variety of music education leaders on the general subject of enhancing music ecosystems for the purpose of giving every child the opportunity to enjoy an active music life. The program was topped off with a speech by Cindy Marten, US Deputy Secretary of Education.

Rachel is busy working on the material from the Symposium which, when ready, will come out in a permanent document. The Symposium can presently be viewed on the Yale School of Music website in the section on the Music in Schools Program.

Over the years the symposia have evolved from the early ones which honored talented public school music teachers and showcased cutting- edge music teaching strategies, to considering music ecosystems, defining the roles of public school music teachers and teaching artists, and last June, with the participation of Cindy Marten, into the realm of public policy, long hoped for by Class members.

Visiting Professor:

Sebastian Ruth, a MacArthur fellow, continues to teach his popular course entitled “Music, Service and Society”. The course is also available on Coursera, free of charge to anyone who would like to take it.

The Endowment:

The latest figure for the endowment is $11.4 million. The annual income of the program from the endowment is around $500,000 used as roughly itemized in the section labeled “New Haven Program.”

The Future:

Dean Blocker has repeatedly said that the program has become a key part of the Yale School of Music’s offering. At Michael’s retirement celebration, Dean Blocker announced that new enhanced space has been found for the Music in Schools Program, which has been administered out of a couple of cubicles and Michael’s office. Additional funding would allow expansion of the New Haven Public School program. The School of Music would also like to develop a new program leading to a Teaching Artist Certificate. Evidently there is a need for teaching artists to supplement public school music teachers; thus there are career opportunities available for musicians trained to do this. Some thought has been given to a new program entitled “Every Child Sings”. Using the documents developed from the last few symposia, members of the MISI team continue to remind legislators that music is every child’s birthright.

It is our hope that one day soon music will be part of the general curriculum of all public schools, as it is in some other countries.

Succession:

The 1989 Members of the Music in Schools Advisory Committee have shown a commitment to the program and have contributed important ideas. The plan remains for a gradual transition of leadership from our Class to their Class. Our 65th reunion seems an appropriate milestone for this process to begin.

Summary:

The Music in Schools Program of the Class of 1957 has fared well through turbulent times. It is a unique feature of the Yale School of Music and, we are assured, is here to stay. Work in the New Haven Public Schools continues to be a very significant contribution to Yale’s home city. The symposia continue to recognize the value of public school music teachers on a national basis, as well as defining the necessary elements to expand music opportunities for all children. With the national distribution of “The Declaration on Equity in Music for City Students” throughout the Congress, and the participation of Deputy Secretary of Education Cindy Marten at last June’s symposium, there has been progress toward influencing national policy.

The Class of 1957, and recently members of the Class of 1989, can be very proud of a program which does indeed add value not only to New Haven but to the country as a whole.

Respectfully submitted,
Stephen M. Wittenberg M.D.
Chair-Class of 1957 Music in Schools Advisory Committee

Introduction

Obviously 2020 has been a very different year for everyone! The Music in Schools Initiative was no exception. Starting in March of 2020, the program had to convert from person-to-person activities to virtual activities. Gearing up occurred in the spring of 2020. The Yale School of Music managed to do this with surprising speed and effectiveness. By the summer of 2020 all activities had become virtual with 95 New Haven public school students working remotely with the help of 30 teaching artists in the Morse summer program.

This fall all three components of the program are in effect—i.e., work with New Haven public school students, planning for a 2021 symposium, and a visiting faculty member devoted to community engagement (all virtual of course).

The New Haven Program

65 Yale School of Music graduate students are serving 160 public school students from 28 schools using Zoom to create virtual after-school activities. These include private lessons and small group classes by instrument. In addition to learning an instrument, students are being taught to use recording and editing technology, to compose their own music, and to explore how music and culture interact.

Remote in-school activities include mentorship programs for 95 public school students working with 30 teaching artists.

Visiting Faculty

Sebastian Ruth, a MacArthur fellow, has been teaching his innovative and stimulating course, “Music, Service and Society,” since 2007. In addition to the offering for Yale students, the course is available for anyone free via Coursera.

2021 Symposium

Thinking about a 2021 symposium has centered around the task of strengthening and empowering music learning ecosystems. Because of the pandemic, the symposium is likely to occur in a rolling fashion between March and June, with invited experts who can be of help in formulating an action plan. Budgetary problems leading to losses of certified music teachers can be anticipated, and a plan to mitigate this becomes even more important. Universities, foundations, and corporations may be of help. In addition, the importance of teaching artists obviously increases.

Succession

Several members of the Class of 1989 have been very active on our advisory committee. Many of their ideas have been very helpful. The overall plan is to move toward a transition to their leadership at the Class of 1957’s 65th reunion. The new committee members’ enthusiasm for this venture, their various skill sets, and their willingness to participate in advisory meetings has been appreciated both by members both of the Class of 1957 and the Yale School of Music.

Summary

Yale School of Music staff members deserve a great deal of credit for responding with creativity and efficiency to the pandemic. The important work with New Haven Public School students continues, and many things have been learned. In the future, the program may well take on a hybrid form with both person-to-person and virtual teaching. The pandemic’s drain of government funds will undoubtedly strain school budgets, decrease the number of certified music teachers, and contract student opportunities for active music-making.

Strengthening the ecosystem for music education becomes even more important than before the pandemic. The work of the upcoming symposium will be to suggest innovations, encourage outside funding, and solidify the role of teaching artists. Sebastian Ruth’s commitment to showing how music can better both lives and communities is more important than ever in times of crisis such as today.

Members of the Class of 1957 can be proud of its initiative and can be sure that their advisory role will pass on to capable hands in the Class of 1989.

Respectfully submitted,
Stephen M. Wittenberg

Chair, Class of 1957 Music in Schools Committee

The 1957 Yale Bowl Portal Project (Final Report)

At half time of the Harvard Game, on November 17, 2007, a Portal Plaque was unveiled at Yale Bowl honoring the extraordinary athletic achievements of the Class of 1957 during senior year. The plaque is the result of the generous contributions of nearly one hundred classmates who raised in excess of $250,000, as part of our 50th Reunion gift, to help with the much-needed renovation of Yale Bowl. The plaque reads

It is displayed among plaques honoring the 1934 Iron Man Team, Levi Jackson, Carm Cozza, the College Football Hall of Fame, and the Football Championship Teams of 1960, 1968, and 1989 among others. It is notable company, but company in which the Class of 1957 belongs.

As an integral part of the fund-raising effort, memorial gifts were received in honor of the following deceased classmates:

Memorial Gifts were also received in honor of the following deceased friends and mentors:

May they all rest in peace.

This magnificent effort would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the committee made up of Don Bab, Bill Clinton, Colin Gracey, Don Griffith, Ev Hedeen, Colin Jensen, Dick Jones, Ted Jones, Jim King, Ed Meyer, Mike Oberlin, Jack Pendergast, Ed Robinson, Bide Thomas, and the late Pete Fritzsche.

Dwight Hall Summer Fellowships

The Class of 1957 supports summer fellowships in Dwight Hall in memory of Frank Mongillo and Howie Gillis.

Started in 1968, Dwight Hall Summer Fellowships give Yale students the opportunity to spend their vacations in New Haven working full-time on projects they have themselves designed in response to community needs. In addition to working with community or student groups or other not-for-profit organizations to implement their projects, the fellows meet for weekly dinner seminars with New Haven community leaders to gather advice and learn more about pertinent city issues.

During the summer of 2005, Class of 1957 summer fellowships will support Hannah Yoon (Saybrook, '05) to head up an initiative in conjunction with Advanced Strategies for Healthcare Access Inc. to research and publicize eye care resources available to the uninsured in New Haven. In addition, Benjamin Staub (Saybrook, '06) will work directly with those enrolled in Connecticut Voices for Children's newly launched foster youth-transition program in helping the young people to create self-governing Youth Leadership Boards and raise their own voices in area and state legislative debates on foster care issues.

Below is a letter from Tess Wheelwright, Student Coordinator of Dwight Hall Summer Fellowships, to Steve Hopkins, dated 16 May 2005:

Dear Mr. Hopkins,

It comes as great news that the class of 1957 intends to sponsor two of our Dwight Hall Summer Fellows this year! A thrilled thanks to you and your classmates for such generosity, from all of us here in Dwight Hall.

I am Tess Wheelwright, Yale College class of 2006, and this year's coordinator of the Dwight Hall Summer Fellowship. During the academic year, I co-coordinate the Dwight Hall-affiliated Urban Fellows Program, which similarly places students as interns in city and community agencies, and like the Summer Fellowship involves a group component of weekly discussion meetings. I'm very much looking forward to extending my experience in that role to the more in-depth Dwight Hall Summer Fellowship.

Kathrine Burdick passed along to me your email address; it is my pleasure to present to you Summer Fellows Ben Staub, Saybrook '06, and Hannah Yoon, Saybrook '05, for Class of 1957 sponsorship.

Hannah will be interning at Student Health OUTreach, a recently founded (2000) New Haven nonprofit organization that calls itself a "project of advanced strategies for healthcare access." SHOUT works to reach out to the city's uninsured families and enroll them in Connecticut's Healthcare for Uninsured Kids and Youth (HUSKY) program, as well as research and advocate on their behalf for improved access to medical and dental resources. Hannah's interest in health and medicine, and her year's experience already as an organizer of outreach at SHOUT, make her a great candidate for her summer project of coordinating a new SHOUT initiative concerning eye care, specifically. Hannah will be researching, compiling, and publicizing information about existing eye care resources for families in New Haven without insurance, while directing attention to the problem as part of a larger SHOUT advocacy project to document "Stories of the City's Uninsured."

Ben' focus will also be on children and will also combine direct service with research and advocacy but will concern itself specifically with youth in the foster care system. His project is with Connecticut Voices for Children, a respected organization committed to improving the lives of youth through high-quality research and public policy analysis, and promoting youth voice and leadership through citizen education and organizing. CT Voices recently received a grant to look at the issues facing youth "aging out" of the foster care system, and it is in conjunction with this larger project that Ben will be researching this population in New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford, as well as working with the youth directly to help them form boards to organize discussions and events, empowering them to add their own youth voice to the legislative debates. Besides being a Summer Fellow, Ben is also the current Co-Coordinator of Dwight Hall's student Executive Committee, a Dwight Hall Early Childhood Education Fellow, and generally an invaluable member and representative of the Dwight Hall effort. He would be happy for the opportunity to share more about his summer project, and welcomes contact at benjamin.staub@yale.edu.

Thank-you again, Mr. Hopkins, for your generous support. Only with it are we able to provide the deserving Ben and Hannah and the equally deserving organizations they'll be serving with such a valuable summer opportunity!

Tess Wheelwright