Outstanding winter 2024 undergraduate: Clarrisse Bosman
Photo credit: Hao Zhou
A complaint about high frequencies would prove fateful for Clarrisse Bosman and her future path as a musician and educator.
Bosman, who will graduate from CU Boulderâs College of Music this winter with bachelorâs degrees in both bassoon performance and instrumental music education, recalls the moment that led her to the largest instrument in any typical orchestra.
âI started playing music on the flute. I was practicing one day, and my mother couldnât stand the high register,â says Bosman, adding that she was asked to find some other musical means to express herself. She obliged, opting for an instrument at the other end of the register in terms of pitch and size. âI said, âOkay, Iâll pick the largest instrument that I can get my hands on.â
Bosman, whoâs apt to chuckle as she points out that sheâs a 5-foot-2 musician playing an instrument that normally measures about 4-foot-5, quickly made an immediate and profound connection to the bassoonâone that helped steer her course through Cherry Creek High School in Englewood and then at CU Boulder.
âI fell in love with it. Itâs so unique. It literally stands out among the orchestra,â Bosman continues. âI knew that I wanted to pursue music and especially music education. Iâve always had a passion for music education and teaching people.â
The decision to build on the musical foundations she built in high school at CU Boulder boiled down largely to faculty, she says. When it came to finding a mentor that could offer her directionâboth in terms of her own performance and her ability to inspire othersâshe found a perfect fit in Yoshiyuki Ishikawa, professor of bassoon.
âFor me, music and where I chose to study depended on the professor,â she reiterates. âCU Boulder has set me up for success in the teaching world. Iâm grateful to have had such great mentors in the College of Music.â
Specifically, our program offered Bosman the chance to come into her own as a soloist, even as it provided opportunities to build real-world teaching experiences in classrooms across the Denver metro area, including a stint at Campus Middle School, literally next door to her former high school. Along with student teaching and practicums at Sunset Middle School, Horizon High School and other institutions, these experiences helped Bosman develop her own teaching style.
âI have a diverse teaching portfolioâIâve taught concert band, jazz band and orchestra as well as mariachi ensemble. Usually students choose to only student teach in one area, but itâs been fun to have the opportunity to specialize in different areas,â she says. âNothing prepares you like putting it into practice. CU Boulder provides rigorous challenges and puts us into actual classrooms.â
Bosman developed her teaching experience as she found opportunities to perform for audiences. One of her most memorable concerts came in the midst of a crisis, she says.
âMy apartment caught on fire the night before my senior recital,â she remembers, crediting CU Boulderâs Basic Needs Center for providing assistance in the face of the emergency. âI grabbed my concert heels, my dress and a few belongings and woke up the next day like nothing happened. I had to put on my senior recital. Itâs the concert that stands out the most,â she adds, noting that her bassoon was safe in her locker at school and that the performance ultimately turned out successful.
Bosman, who balanced several different interests and passions in high school, found the same equilibrium at CU Boulder. Even as she honed her skills as a musician and teacher, she continued pursuing other interests and passionsâfor example, she served as the CU Boulder Ice Skating Club president, coached members of the Ice Skating Club and participated in several on-campus programs. She notes that CU Boulder provides incredible opportunities and support programs, especially through the Center for Inclusion and Social Change which was instrumental as a first-generation student being the first in her family to graduate college.
Bosman dedicated herself to finding a well-rounded existence at CU Boulderâjust as she pursued dual degrees that align with the collegeâs universal musician approach which aims to develop multiskilled artists who are equipped to make a difference in our world as broadly-based professionals.
That dynamic will remain with Bosman as she preps for her next steps. She knows she loves teaching, particularly at the middle school level; and she knows no matter where she travels, her passion for music and teaching will follow.
âI have plans to be a substitute teacher for music until more full-time positions open up and Iâm exploring coaching opportunities in the figure skating world,â she notes. âIâm also a traveling spirit and I would be open to something a little more tropical if it ever arises. (But) I do keep music at my heart.â
The University of Colorado Boulderâs winter 2024 degree conferral is Dec. 19. To all our inspiring, accomplished graduates, CONGRATULATIONS and welcome to the Forever Buffs familyâwe hope youâll join us for our spring 2025 recognition ceremony!