Jared Collins

Tell us why you became a teacher

I wanted to be like my own high school music teacher, Mr Hielkema. He was an incredible teacher and always wanted nothing but the best from each student. He pushed us with every piece we performed, allowed us to try different and new music, and supported us in everything class outside of the music program. Mr Hielkema also pushed me into becoming a professional gigging musician. It isn’t often that a teacher would encourage pursuing the career path of being a professional musician.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable moment when teaching was taking my Arizona students to the San Diego beach. So many of them had never been outside of Arizona and seeing them run into the Pacific Ocean was so awesome!

What would you do with the $25,000?

Pay off my debt and more than likely, help our program by buying a set of new timpani.