Matthew Di Filippo

I am currently a Music Education student at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ. I am studying to be a general music teacher and band director. I grew up in Marlton, NJ where music and the arts heavily influenced my education. I have grown up showing an interest for music in several instruments. I started learning the piano at the age of 7 and the clarinet at the age of 10. By middle school, I grew an extreme interest for the guitar. Through the guitar, I was determined to study and perform rock, jazz, and classical music. During elementary and middle school, I played clarinet in the schools' concert band and jazz band. By High school, my main focus was playing the guitar as I realized the instrument exemplified my true talent in being musical. Over time I formed local bands and performed in small venues in including the Trocadero Theatre and the Crocodile Rock Cafe, PA. After High school, I chose to attend Rowan University because of its strong music and education program. Since I have been enrolled as a music education student, I have demonstrated a high level of performance and competence in all my method courses. The music department hired me as someone qualified to work as a peer tutor for Music Theory-Written/Aural. I perform in Rowan's Concert Band, Men's Choir, and Guitar Ensemble. I have joined NAfME, which is an organization of American music educators dedicated to advancing and preserving music education and as part of the core curriculum of schools in the United States. Outside of school, I am currently a member of the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society and volunteer to work for their concerts and festivals. During winter and summer breaks, I try to teach private lessons to beginners for guitar and any band/string instruments I have learned. My goal as a Music Educator is allow each of my future students to discover their passion for music and to continue such interests.