Carlos Lozano Sanchez

WMU Graduate Student Selected Unanimously for Excellence in Teaching Award

Carlos Lozano Sanchez - Master of Music in Viola Performance

The WMU Graduate College nominated Carlos Raul Lozano Sanchez for the 2020 Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) Excellence in Teaching Award. Member institutions in MAGS include exemplar institutions such as the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, University of Iowa, Purdue University, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Wisconsin and the University of Nebraska, to name but a few. Out of all the 175 member institutions in MAGS, Western Michigan University’s nominee, Carlos Raul Lozano Sanchez, was selected unanimously by the review committee for the 2020 MAGS Outstanding Teaching Award for master’s students.

This singular honor recognizes Carlos as a graduate student who exemplifies excellence in the teaching/learning mission of member universities. WMU can be proud of this outstanding achievement.

His faculty recommender, Dr. Igor Fedotov, professor of Viola and Chamber Music, wrote: “Carlos is consistently looking for more ideas to learn, and trying to find ways to apply that to music, both when playing and teaching.”

Dr. Christine Byrd-Jacobs, interim dean of the graduate college, in her letter of support for the MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award, noted that Carlos’ Teaching in Action video shows “his comfortable and approachable style of delivery and the enthusiasm and kindness with which he interacts with students.”

Carlos shares, “I believe that learning to play a musical instrument prepares us for life, as it teaches us a good deal of values that I believe are key for human beings: perseverance, critical thinking, problem solving, empathy, teamwork, among many others.” He continues, “It is our duty as educators to best prepare our students, and it is one of my goals to teach music in a way that will help the students in many areas of their lives, giving them values that will make them stand out in everyday life situations.

Certainly, in these uncertain times, we’ve all seen the value and beauty that music provides in our community – be it in Italy as quarantined members of society join in a choral symphony each evening as they celebrate the indomitable spirit of humankind. We’ve also seen it here in the United States, as healthcare workers are honored with music in a show of our appreciation for their dedication and sacrifice. These are the values Carlos works to instill in his students. That his work has been recognized with a MAGS Excellence in Teaching Award is a cause of celebration.