MMEA awards presented
At the annual Maine Music Educators Association conference the following educators were recognized for their contributions to music education. CONGRATULATIONS to everyone!
Honors Instrumental Music Festival
On January 12, Maine Music Educators’ Assn District 2 held the Honors Instrumental Music Festival at Oxford Hills High School. The amazing High school band performance, under the direction of Grammy Award winning music educator, Jared Cassedy, is linked below.
Jared, music educator at Windham High School, Windham, NH was interviewed on CBS and you can read the ARTICLE HERE. I have also included a link to Jared’s CBS interview. The performance was outstanding!
If your district concerts are videotaped and you’d like to see them on this blog please send me the information at argy.nestor@maine.gov. Thanks!
Gone but not forgotten
Retired music educator Paul Greenstone assisting in a summer music program in Lake Region Summer Band Program for students entering Gr. 5 through high school. Shirts designed by Paul’s son, Andrew Greenstone. Photo by music educator Jenni Null who is recently retired and teaching one day a week.
As we know the field of education is changing right before our eyes – sometimes with us at the table and some days we wake up and wonder how we got where we are. Some of this has to do with a generation of educators retiring. The numbers are on the increase and the list of openings at this time of year is larger than normal, according to communications. The statewide census that the Maine Arts Commission conducted provided us with all kinds of information including the number of school districts who have non-certified educators. We also know that in some arts disciplines, the number of undergraduate students in our field is smaller this year. Both of these are concerns.
I keep thinking about the number of retired teachers who still have so much to offer. I’m hearing about several who are teaching one or two days a week in schools that have a need for a part-time arts educator. I’m also aware of educators who are volunteering in their communities and/or schools to help support the education of young people. If you’re one of these educators, THANK YOU you for stepping up and continuing to use your teaching skills!
Doesn’t matter what age you are or how long you’ve been teaching, I suggest that you consider who is available to assist you and consider the many retired arts educators when you hear of opportunities. Both the Maine Music Educators Association and the Maine Art Education Association knows who has retired in the past few years plus I have blogged about the retirees for the last five years. Don’t hesitate to reach out – these are ways to advocate and gain support for yourself and your program. We know that young people are the ones who will benefit!
Great opportunity
The Maine Academy of Modern Music (MAMM) is excited to invite Maine music teachers to attend Chords For Kids: MAMM’s Scholarship Gala Fundraiser, Oct 11 AURA for FREE! Teachers just need to produce their school credentials at the door and they and a guest may join us in our celebration that evening.
The event will be a celebration of MAMM’s 11th anniversary and will feature performances by MAMM students, a silent auction, and an award ceremony where MAMM will recognize “Rock Stars in Our Communities”. Following the award ceremony attendees will dance the night away to Maine’s premiere 80’s band, The Awesome.
MAMM’s 2018 Maine Music Educator Award will go to Allen Thomas, Choir Director at Bonny Eagle High School and Chairperson of the District One Maine Music Educators Association. Thomas was selected from an impressive pool of candidates from across Maine because his work exemplifies MAMM’s mission of building leadership through the musical arts. “We were most impressed by Allen’s real efforts to cultivate leadership skills in his students and empower them to take charge of their craft and music performances,” said MAMM director Jeff Shaw.
To learn more about MAMM visit www.maineacademyofmodernmusic.org.
Orlando, FL
The following students will be representing Maine in the All-National Ensembles in Orlando, Florida, November 26-29. Thank you to the music educators who have helped prepare these students on their musical journeys!
Accomplishing at the highest level
Congratulations to the following Maine Music Educators who received awards last week during the Maine Music Educators Association annual conference at UMaine Orono.
Sue Barre, Barbara Jordan, Ciara Hargrove, Kristen Alberts
Mike Sakash with Josh Bosse
Ben Potvin with Josh Champagne
Ashley Albert, Jill Hodgdon, Danielle Murphy, Heidi Anderson, Mike Scarpone and Lisa Cushman, Assistant Principal, Brunswick Junior High School representing administration
Brian Nadeau
September 30
The Maine Chapter (American Orff- Schulwerk Association) with MMEA (Maine Music Educators Association) are proud to present:
Jonathan Rappaport & Charlyn Bethel
Flavors of Kodály and Weikart:
Surefire songs, dances, games, and part songs
Sessions to include:
Introduction to the Kodály Concept
A Baker’s Dozen–13 Ways to Teach a New Song
The Sequential Development of Part Work
Teaching Movement and Dance Using Education Through Movement
Friday, September 30, 2016, 9 AM – 3:30 PM at Le Club Calumet – Augusta, ME (334 West River Road Augusta). Credit: 1.5 CEUs from the University of Southern Maine with a paper and lesson plan ($12. charge must be sent to USM at a later date – info at workshop).
For a registration form or more information please contact Nancy Cash-Cobb mainemmeagmpk5vp@gmail.com or call her at 446-1762, Windham Primary Sch00l.
Learn about this internationally-renowned approach to teaching students of all ages in a child-developmental approach of learning music through the human voice, movement, sight-reading, and comprehensive musical understanding. The process of learning is key, with careful preparation, presentation, and practice of all elements, concepts and skills. Covered will be choice of musical materials, sequencing, tools of Kodály teaching (hand signs, solfa, rhythm syllables, letter names), and learning a variety of classroom tested, successful song material.
A Baker’s Dozen–13 Ways to Teach a New Song
presented by Jonathan
Successful learning of a wide variety of song material is critical for the success of the general music classroom at all grade levels. Learn 13 ways of teaching songs that intrigue students, keep them focused, and offer variety to the routines of teaching songs. Songs presented will be time-tested, successful songs useful in a variety of elementary grades.
The Sequential Development of Part Work
presented by Jonathan
Developing part-singing skills takes time and careful sequencing for children to gain confidence, ability, and proficiency. This workshop examines part-work development in a successful sequence of learning. It will include a variety of part music suitable for young voices, including rounds, canons, partner songs, part songs, and folk song arrangements.
Teaching Movement and Dance Using Education Through Movement
presented by Charlyn
This session will outline how to build a movement foundation for your students. Education Through Movement is a process that has analyzed locomotor and non-locomotor movements, which helps the teacher start with what is easiest and progress into more challenging movement sequences that are used in simple folk dances. Topics will include ways of engaging learners to move creatively, the prerequisites to teaching dance, and then practical application to some actual folk dances. Wear comfortable shoes and expect to have some fun!
Jonathan C. Rappaport is Executive Director of Arts|Learning (Medfield, MA), a statewide non-profit organization that advocates for and promotes arts education and systemic education reform, and the Co-Founder/Director emeritus of the Kodály Music Institute, Southborough, MA, (founded 1998) where he teaches conducting and advanced pedagogy and materials analysis. He was formerly Head of School, Conservatory Lab Charter School (Brighton, MA), and the Performing Arts Liaison of the Worcester (MA) Public Schools.
Jonathan is a conductor, educator, composer, pianist, singer, author, and consultant for school systems. He has served as the choral director of numerous schools, children’s festival honor choirs, churches, synagogues, and community choral groups. Rappaport has published 18 choral works and 5 books, and is the recipient of awards for his work advocating for the arts in public schools from the MA Music Educators, the MA Alliance for Arts Education, the New England Theatre Conference, and the MA Art Educators Association. He has taught music, trained teachers nationally, presented at national and state conferences in over a dozen states, and directed choruses for 45 years.
Charlyn Bethell has been using Kodály Methodology in her Concord Public Schools K-5 classes for 28 years. She has been teaching at the Kodály Music Institute since its inception (1998) and presently teaches Pedagogy and Materials to Level II students in that program. She has given workshops for the Organization of American Kodály Educators, the MA Music Educators Assn, and the Boston Area Kodály Educators. Charlyn is the Music Director of her UU church in Watertown and she is a freelance oboist in the Boston area. She is the adjunct oboe teacher at Phillips Andover Academy and she plays regularly with Solar Winds Quintet and Kaleidoscope Chamber Ensemble. She has performed with Monadnock Music, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, Emmanuel Music, New Hampshire Symphony, and the Opera Company of Boston. She was a founding member of the New Art Winds (woodwind quintet), which made its New York debut in Carnegie Recital Hall in 1985. She has recorded for CRI.
