The School of Music gains a new faculty member

Assistant Professor of Trombone Cole Bartels, DMA, is a new faculty member in the School of Music. His classes will include applied trombone lessons, studio classes, chamber music, music theory, and more. 

Prior to his position at CMU, Bartels taught at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Concordia University Wisconsin. Bartels received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in April 2022. While residing in the Madison, Wisconsin area he worked extensively as a freelance musician.  

Bartels has experience in many genres of music including classical, salsa, and jazz. He enjoys performing contemporary music and collaborating with composers who are still alive. There is more to experiment with in contemporary music according to Bartels. Creating exciting new sounds that people haven’t heard before inspires him when it comes to performing. 

As for teaching, he finds inspiration in the hard work his students put in to succeed. He says, “seeing the moments when something finally clicks” inspires him. He enjoys helping and watching his students find success in their music-making and career goals.  

Bartels had CMU on his radar when applying to master’s programs years ago, so when it came time to look for a teaching position, it was his top choice. The campus atmosphere, the university’s values, and the small-town feel of Mt. Pleasant are some of the reasons Bartels picked CMU. He has felt welcomed by the other faculty, staff, and students, and is excited to start teaching in the fall.