Letter of Recommendation (Piano MM) 

 

It is a great pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for Miss Kathleen Y. Kim. I have known Miss Kim since her last year at Seoul Arts 

High School for 10 years and taught her throughout her college years at Yonsei University 

 

Miss Kim greatly impressed me with her outstanding technique and solid rhythmic sense. Her dedicated to her work and her energy are good indicators of continued accomplishment and maturity. 

 

I would most strongly recommend Miss Kim for a MM student at your school because I have no reservation that she successfully meet the 

requirement of your program. I hope that your school responds favorably to her application. Thank you. (Hoping that your school responds 

favorably to her application) 

 

Letter of Reference (Violin MM) 

 

This is a letter of reference for Ms. Kathleen Y. Kim who is applying for admission to Butler School of Music/ UT at Austin as an MM degree 

seeking student. As her professor and private lesson teacher for the past five years, I can give you a detailed assessment of her abilities. 

 

She is gentle, trustworthy, and has a sense of humor. She is supported by her peers not only as Vice President of the department, but also as 

the most influential student in the class. Kathleen motivates her peers, takes on responsibilities willingly. 

 

Ms. Kim is well-organized and concentrates on her studies. She was awarded for academic excellence throughout her college years. She also is quick learner and enthusiastic about her performances and self-motivated to put in long hours and work efficiently. 

 

After teaching her for five years, now I know that underneath the quiet surface, she holds such great energy and potential 

 

In summary, I recommend Ms. Kim to you with confidence as a promising young violinist. I firmly believe that once she is admitted to (school name), she will make a memorable contribution to your Music community. 

 

Letter of Recommendation (Voice MM) 

 

I knew that Kathleen Y. Kim possessed a talent unmatched by anyone and I have been keeping an eye on her, so I was more than happy when she asked me for a recommendation for her application to graduate studies. 

 

I first met her on her first day of college. At the time, voice majors were required to attend a freshman orientation right away. During the 

orientation, her friends recommended her to be the student representative of voice freshman class and she gracefully took her position after a unanimous vote. There, I noticed how she gained trust of people around her in such a short period of time. As a student representative, she 

was responsible and considerate; she showed leadership whenever there was an event that needed to be organized. She never raised her voice nor ordered anyone around. Instead, she took the initiative and set an example for others to follow. After being a student representative during her freshman year, she continued her leadership position and worked in the student council the next year. 

 

Her leadership also shone through in academics. When she took my opera class, she always had been attentive, sitting in the front row in every class, eager to learn. She studied opera works in detail and completely fell into her role when rehearsing scenes from such opera works. While she excelled with no one to compare, she encouraged her peers to participate actively in class and assisted anyone who came to ask for her 

help. Plus, when the class needed an accompaniment, she would volunteer as an accompanist, revealing great ability in playing piano as well. 

 

She also showed outstanding presentation manner. Thanks to her strife for perfection, her presentations in class were always much more 

accomplished than those by her peers. Because she did her best to prepare for class presentations, there was nothing to criticize. Her 

presentations were concise, clear, and served as an example for others to emulate. Her voice carried confidence without a trace of arrogance. 

 

Diligent and smart, she was respected by both underclassmen and upperclassmen. Furthermore, she was recognized for her talent and 

accomplishment as well as any faculty member who had taught her. She maintained excellent grades and never missed the scholarship 

throughout her school years. 

 

Her love for music is sincere and her dream of becoming a fine musician is genuine. Whenever she sets goals, she works consistently to achieve them. I am excited to just imagine her studying at a graduate level. I am happy to think of her bright future. I know for a fact that she will 

exceed her current level of music with her brain, heart, and talent. Without a doubt, she will become a great musician and a valuable asset for your school. 

 

Letter of Recommendation (Flute MM) 

 

I am glad to write this recommendation letter for Kathleen Y. Kim, an aspiring master of music applicant. I met her for the first time in the 

winter of 2006, when I noticed how hard she worked to get into a good music school. I thought her music was incredibly romantic and beautiful; passion emanated from her music. 

 

I watched her mature as a musician while studying with me in her undergraduate years. She showed strong sense of responsibility not only in music but also in everything else that was assigned to her, impressing everyone around her. 

 

I watched her win prizes at national competitions and pass auditions to collaborate with the school orchestra. Plus, she took master classes 

from several professors, expanding her musical knowledge and comprehension. With much effort, she maintained excellent grades and received honors and scholarships. 

 

With a kind and delicate heart, she keeps strong relationships with her friends, upperclassmen, and underclassmen. However, her passion and eagerness regarding music and academics are second to none. Of course she still has room for growth as a professional musician but with the help of great mentors and her outstanding music comprehension, she will be successful. I am certain that with her consistent effort and 

exceptional ability, she will become a fine musician with much contribution to the music society. 

 

Letter of Recommendation (Cello MM) 

 

I first met Kathleen Y. Kim in 2009 at Seoul National University as an adviser and taught her in string ensemble, chamber ensemble, and 

orchestra up till 2012. 

 

I collaborated with the orchestra as a soloist, thereby running into Kathleen frequently. I kept my eye on her in chamber ensemble performance and other mandatory performances and was impressed by her diligence and eagerness. If she gets the chance to study at the University of 

Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, I am certain that she will become a great musician with the skill she has accumulated so far. 

 

Her enthusiastic and bright attitude in class would fit perfectly with College-Conservatory of Music’s atmosphere. I have no doubt that with her consistent earnestness she will live up to the exceptional reputation of College-Conservatory of Music. In fact, future prospective students 

wishing to study at the College-Conservatory of Music would look up to her as a role model and dream of performing at the College. 

 

I genuinely wish Kathleen is given the opportunity to study at the University of Cincinnati and expand not only her perspective in music but 

also her outlook on the world and mature into an outstanding musician. 

 

Letter of Recommendation (Clarinet MM) 

 

I met Kathleen Y. Kim around March, 2014. Ever since I graduated the Colburn School, I have been performing around the world, including 

countries in Europe such as France as well as the US. Hence, I do not spend much time other than the holiday seasons or summer breaks in 

Korea. Every time I come back home, however, I make sure I meet up with Kathleen almost every day to check up on the progress she has 

made and give additional private lessons. This is made possible for we live only about 10 minutes away from each other by car. Indeed, the 

short distance makes me not only a family friend around the neighborhood but also the closest teacher who can provide the keenest 

observations on Kathleen. 

 

Whenever I listen to Kathleen’s clarinet performance, I can tell that she has a great tone. Rather than focusing on superfluous techniques, she 

puts more weight on accuracy. She practices constantly in order to really digest the music until every piece she learns becomes her very own. From time to time, she will be asked to play several songs with completely distinct styles but she never panics. In fact, her consistent composure is her greatest advantage. Additionally, she is a stronger musician on stage than in the practice rooms; I attribute this quality to her dedication 

in music comprehension and analysis. Kathleen would not stop practicing until she understands the repertoire completely. During her practice hours, she analyzes the music exactly as it is written on the sheet and adjusts her approach based on what is required. 

 

She once told me, “I’m practicing day and night but I won’t die because of it.” Of course, she gets exhausted but she knows it will not hurt her but instead make her stronger and happier. I truly consider my dear student and colleague Kathleen to be worthy of leading a life of a musician. 

 

Nowadays, Kathleen and I are attacking a wide variety of unaccompanied pieces and contemporary works. As her teacher, I will gladly 

recommend her to the Colburn School for I am certain she will fit perfectly into Colburn’s passionate environment. Furthermore, if Kathleen gets a chance to learn from Professor Yehuda Gilad, who was my own mentor at Colburn, I have no doubt that she will mature into a great Colburn musician that not only I but also Prof. Gilad and the school will be proud of. 

 

Letter of Recommendation (Choral conducting MM) 

 

I am more than happy to write this letter of recommendation to Yale School of Music as a Professor of Ms. Kathleen Y. Kim. 

 

I am an adjunct professor at Korea National University of Arts and gave conducting lessons for Kathleen Y. Kim during whole her sophomore 

year. In the department of choral conducting at Korea National University of Arts, different professors are in charge of each grade, but I could 

give her conducting lessons for some time in her junior year for a special occasion. I could see her grow a little longer. 

 

As far as I remember, she wasn’t confident about expressing music through conducting at first. She was a bit shy. However, as she took my 

lessons, she gradually became a good conductor by her diligence. When I told her what she needed to improve, she tried hard to correct to 

develop her ability. Later, she expressed her musical ideas on top of what I said. She always analyzed songs and tried to understand lyrics 

beforehand in order to contain more elaborate details in the given songs. When I taught her again at the end of her junior year, I saw her 

rapid growth as she had experienced various repertories. She took each lesson with enthusiasm and passion in the songs. 

 

I also found out that she has good personality while I worked with her for a long time. She always led good atmosphere in class and kept 

good relationships with me and other students who she took lessons with. In my experience, good conductors need not only good skills and 

knowledge but also good personality to make all orchestra members harmonious. In that sense, she is well qualified, and I hope she will 

cultivate her talent to become a good conductor in your school. 

 

Since I believe that she could develop herself further if she is given with a great opportunity to study at Yale School of Music, I highly 

recommend her.