Meet YAMA's Assistant Teachers

The Student Leaders Shaping the Next Generation of Musicians

At YAMA, we believe that some of the most powerful teaching happens when students learn from each other. That's the heart of our Assistant Teacher (AT) Program — an opportunity for experienced student musicians to step into leadership roles, mentoring younger players while deepening their own love of music.

This year, five incredible ATs joined our team! Angelina, Belen, Dianna, Dylan, and Salvador have all brought a new level of dedication, creativity, and heart to our orchestras.

Students as Mentors

Some of this year’s ATs started their musical journeys right here at YAMA, while others first picked up a string instrument at their middle schools. The thread that ties all five of our ATs together is the shared YAMA experience: being together in the same environment is what makes them so effective in our classrooms.

Angelina Rodriguez, a junior in high school, has been playing violin for nine years, having started through YAMA. She also plays a little piano and is considering a future in early childhood education — a passion that clearly shines through in her work with younger students. Outside of YAMA, she paints, crochets, and bakes. This is her second year working as an Assistant Teacher with YAMA!

Belen Garcia, a junior at Davis High School enrolled in college classes through the Running Start Program, has been playing violin for five years and dabbles in viola. She's planning to pursue a Bachelor's in Nursing after graduation. In her free time, she loves catching horror movies with friends and spending time with family.

Learn more about each of our ATs!

The AT Experience

We sat down with Angelina and Belen to hear what the experience of being an AT is actually like — the rewarding parts, the surprising parts, and even the scary parts.

For Angelina, the favorite part is simple: helping younger kids find their footing in music. "I like helping them understand the way of music," she shared. She was inspired to apply after watching older ATs support her own development as a student in elementary school and decided she wanted to pay that forward.

That cycle of mentorship is exactly what Itzel Perez, who now leads the AT Program, had in mind. Itzel was an AT herself during her time as a YAMA student, and returning to guide the next generation has been meaningful in a way she didn't take for granted. "It feels good to be able to come back and help lead the new generation," she said. "As an alumnus and former AT, I know firsthand the impact leadership opportunities like this have. I am very honored to be able to create the same supportive and meaningful experience for new ATs."

Now, Angelina is the one the younger students come to with their specific questions, and she's built enough confidence to guide them with ease.

Belen describes the experience as "a rollercoaster" — in the best way. Watching younger students discover their instruments, and finding joy in the music-making process, has deepened her own relationship with her violin. "It makes me like my violin more," she said. She came into the role partly for practical reasons (it was convenient — she was already at YAMA three days a week — and she was already looking for a job), but what's kept her engaged is the environment, the people she works alongside, and the genuine joy of seeing students grow. She’s also observed the connective power that collaborative music-making holds: “I feel like I’ve seen students really grow into not just being focused on their friendships, which is always important, but really liking playing music together. I see how music connects them in their friendships even more and they want to teach each other.”

Both ATs admitted that working with younger kids felt intimidating at first. For Belen, who doesn't spend much time with children outside of YAMA, the early days required some adjustment. Helping her aunt, a teacher, before joining the program gave her a valuable hands-on head start. Angelina found the first interactions a little awkward, especially at the beginning of the year— that feeling of wanting to be approachable without being a pushover. "Now I’m more comfortable just telling them what to do," she laughed.

Some moments are unplanned and unforgettable. Belen recalled a spontaneous session during a Preludio violin sectional when she pulled out a whiteboard to review note-reading on the spot — no plan, just pure improv. Angelina's most memorable exchange? A student who asked, with complete sincerity: "Do I really need to learn how to read music?" (Angelina’s answer was yes.)

Building the Future of YAMA

Our AT Program isn't just about supporting our current students — it's about cultivating the next generation of YAMA leaders. These five young musicians are proof that the program works: their experiences as just students was positive enough that they find themselves giving back today in the most meaningful way possible.

We're so proud of Angelina, Belen, Salvador, Dianna, and Dylan and the impact they may have on this year’s Preludio and Chamber musicians.