CMS Cohorts

The CMS Cohort Initiative returns for 2025–2026 with a renewed focus on connection, collaboration, and professional growth. Designed to bring CMS members together around common interests and goals, CMS Cohorts aim to provide a platform for meaningful conversation, shared learning, and professional growth. 

Each cohort provides the space to connect with peers and guest speakers, exchange ideas, and build momentum across a series of sessions. With a strong network of support, practical resources, and takeaways you can apply in your own work, the cohort experience aims to serve as a vehicle to propel your professional development forward with intentionality and community. 

The 2025–2026 CMS Cohorts will encompass the following areas of focus:

Cultivating Academic Leadership Cohort

The Cultivating Academic Leadership Cohort is designed for faculty, staff, and administrators ready to lead with clarity, creativity, and purpose. Through focused conversations and real-world examples, participants will explore leadership transitions, communication strategies, service opportunities, fundraising tactics, community engagement, and the act of balancing creative practice in addition to “everything else.” Each session builds on the last, offering practical tools, peer support, and strategies for meaningful professional growth.

⏺︎ This cohort will be co-led by Ivy Walz (Associate Dean for Faculty, Research, Creativity, & Outreach, Texas Tech University) and Ariana Wyatt (Associate Dean for Outreach and Engagement, Virginia Tech) and will meet on the following dates from 7:00 - 8:30 pm ET / 4:00 - 5:30 pm PT:

• Meeting #1: Wednesday, 10/1 – “Preparing for a Leadership Role: The First 90 Days”
• Meeting #2: Monday, 11/10 – “Communication Strategies”
• Meeting #3: Wednesday, 12/3 – ”Intentional Service”
• Meeting #4: Wednesday, 2/4 – “Fundraising 101”
• Meeting #5: Wednesday, 3/25 – “Cultivating Engagement with the Community”
• Meeting #6: Wednesday, 5/20 – “Staying Grounded in Creative Practice – Leading by Example”

Ivy Walz

Ariana Wyatt

Early-Career Music Faculty Cohort

Led by Mark Rabideau and Betty Anne Younker, this cohort offers a practical, transparent look at what it takes to build a meaningful career in higher education. From defining your unique artistic and academic brand to decoding job descriptions, crafting compelling application materials, and preparing for interviews, each session provides tools and insights tailored to the realities of navigating a career in music higher education.

Participants will engage in mock interviews, hear directly from academic leaders with hiring experience, and explore strategies for building a strong professional network. Whether you're applying for your first faculty position or navigating the early stages of your teaching or administrative career, this series offers a supportive space to grow, reflect, and engage in peer mentorship.

⏺︎ This cohort will be co-led by Mark Rabideau (Associate Dean for Faculty and Student Affairs, University of Colorado Denver) and Betty Anne Younker (Professor Emerita, Former Dean, Western University) and will meet on the following dates from 7:00 - 8:30 pm ET / 4:00 - 5:30 pm PT:

• Meeting #1: Thursday, 10/9 – ”Creating Our One-of-a-Kind Brand Distinction”
• Meeting #2: Thursday, 11/6 – “Decoding Job Descriptions and Authoring CVs and Cover Letters”
• Meeting #3: Thursday, 12/4 – “Preparing for the Interview, Part 1”
• Meeting #4: Thursday, 1/29 – “Preparing for the Interview, Part 2”
• Meeting #5: Thursday, 3/19 – “Going Back in Time: How They Landed the Job”
• Meeting #6: Thursday, 5/7 – “It’s Not Who You Know, Or What You Know. It’s Who Knows What You Know”

Mark Rabideau

Betty Anne Younker

Inclusive Pedagogy in Music Cohort

This cohort series is designed to support music educators in deepening their understanding of inclusive pedagogy and applying it meaningfully within their teaching practice. Each session builds upon the last, combining presentation, discussion, and interactive activities. By the end of the series, participants will produce a personalized “Inclusive Teaching Statement,” a concise summary of their values, strategies, and next steps for the implementation of inclusive teaching in practice.

⏺︎ This cohort will meet monthly and will be co-led by Yeeseon Kwon (Roosevelt University) and Kimberly McCord (Illinois State University) and will meet on the following dates from 7:00 - 8:30 pm ET / 4:00 - 5:30 pm PT:

• Meeting #1: Thursday, 10/2 – “Foundations of Inclusive Pedagogy”
• Meeting #2: Thursday, 11/13 – “Caring in Music: Communication and Climate”
• Meeting #3: Tuesday, 1/27 – “Identity, Access, and Representation”
• Meeting #4: Tuesday, 2/10 – “Rethinking Evaluation: Equitable Feedback and Assessment Strategies”
• Meeting #5: Tuesday, 3/17 – ”Leading Change: Navigating Resistance and Building Support”
• Meeting #6: Tuesday, 5/12 – ”Carrying It Forward: Sharing Practice and Sustaining Momentum”

Yeeseon Kwon

Kimberly McCord

What to Expect

1. Dedicated platform: Cohort members will communicate with one another via Basecamp.
2. Six virtual meetings: Meetings will be held via Zoom and will be facilitated by CMS Staff members.
3. Consistent peer support: Each cohort will be capped at 40 participants, with openings provided on a rolling basis.
4. Guest speakers: Learn from and directly engage with experts and leaders in the field.
5. Professional development resources: Cohort members will be provided with opportunities for peer mentorship through group discussions and breakout sessions.
6. Participants are asked to hold membership with CMS to join.*

How to Join

Please complete the form below to sign up for the cohort(s) you are interested in joining. 

Applications will be accepted through Friday, 9/26. Notifications of acceptance will be provided on Monday, 9/29.

Please note: You must hold current CMS membership to engage with CMS Cohorts. If you are unsure of your current membership status, please contact Shannon Devlin at [email protected].

Apply Today