Kaitlyn McCullough ’23

Kaitlyn McCullough ’23 graduated from Monmouth College in the Spring of 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education. While at Monmouth College, she was heavily involved in the music department. She sang all four years of her undergraduate career with the Monmouth College Chorale and Chamber Choir, also serving as the Executive Board President for those ensembles. Her student-teaching placement was at Monmouth-Roseville Jr. and Sr. High School. There she assisted in competitions and performances in the community including Solo and Ensemble Contest, Organizational Contest, and the spring musical. For her service to the district, she was honored with the Outstanding Student Teacher Award through the Illinois Music Education Association in 2024.

McCullough currently serves as the Choir Director at Orion Middle School and High School in Orion, Illinois. Her teaching schedule includes four ensembles - 6th Grade Choir, 7th and 8th Grade Choir, High School Concert Choir, and Syncopation: Vocal Jazz Ensemble. In the Spring Semester, she assists with Orion’s High School musical, serving as the Music Director. An active member in the community, she is the Music Director at First United Methodist Church in Monmouth, Illinois, where she directs the Sanctuary Choir and the Handbell Choir. Kaitlyn is singing with the Nova Singers for their fall 2024 season and has been a member of the Galesburg Community Chorus since 2022.

In the spring of 2024, Kaitlyn was featured in the Illinois Music Educator Journal. Her article, “Pushing through Imposter Syndrome,” was published in the journal’s NEXT Column designated for teachers in the early years of their teaching careers. In the article, she discusses struggles with imposter syndrome in year one of teaching and the pressure weighing on music educators to foster their students’ love of art.

Kaitlyn credits her passion for choir to her time spent singing in the Monmouth College Chorale and the mentorship and guidance of Director Tim Pahel. She is undoubtedly thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to direct the Concert Choir at the school she loves so well.