Carson MS Band Teacher Named to Yamaha’s 40 Under 40

Carson Middle band teacher Chris DiMassimo has been named to Yamaha’s 40 Under 40, an advocacy program that recognizes and celebrates innovative and impactful music teachers under the age of 40 who are doing extraordinary things in their classrooms or programs. DiMassimo, who is in his second year at Carson, is praised for his ability to reflect after each class and for integrating technology into his classroom presentations. He easily moved to a virtual learning environment last spring and was selected for the FCPS curriculum team to help develop distance learning materials for K-12 band directors. The team worked with the U.S. Army Band to develop videos supporting beginning band students learning how to play new instruments. Along with his mentor Dr. Arris Golden of Michigan State University, he co-wrote a two part article in the North Carolina Music Educator Journal about best practices for student teachers and mentor teachers. DiMassimo is driven by how his actions will impact his students, and he regularly solicits their input and feedback to determine if any of them are feeling lost, overwhelmed, or unmotivated. He says, “Hard work is tough to sell these days, but the pursuit of creating beautiful music together, working diligently toward common goals, and experiencing the payout makes it all worth it! I've found that anything I can do to ensure success and satisfaction along the way makes all the difference for students to remain engaged and committed through the ups and downs in our journey.” Learn more about DiMassimo online. Contact Chris DiMassimo at [email protected].