Ten Music Educators Lead in Writing New Curriculum, Courtesy of a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Grant to the National Association for Music Education
RESTON, Va. (PRWEB) October 19, 2017 -- Ten music educators from across the nation convened in Reston, VA, October 15-17 to begin working on writing curriculum units for band and orchestra classrooms. Supported by a Teaching with Primary Sources grant from the Library of Congress, these teachers—five band and five orchestra—will be writing curriculum units based on primary archival materials from the Library connected to music. The curricular units will be based on the Responding section of the 2014 Music Standards. This section of the voluntary national music standards deals with how musicians learn about the social, cultural, and historical contexts of the pieces they perform.
The teachers began drafting the curriculum and visited the Library of Congress during their time in Washington, D.C., working with the professional librarians in the performing arts and recorded sound specialty centers in the Library of Congress. The teachers will then complete the curriculum, meeting virtually throughout the months of November–January, at which time the units will be piloted by band and orchestra teachers across the country. Teachers interested in piloting should contact Johanna Siebert, project director, at JohannaJSiebert(at)gmail.com.
The 2017-2018 Teaching with Primary Sources curriculum writers for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) include:
BAND
• Chair, Armalyn De La O, San Bernardino, CA
• Theresa Hulihan, Phoenix, AZ
• Jenny Neff, Bala Cynwyd, PA
• Jesse D. Espinosa, Houston, TX
• Amanda Tierson, Webster, NY
ORCHESTRA
• Chair, Susan Davis, Queens, NY
• Rebecca Holmes, Reserve, LA
• Beth Fortune, Seattle, WA
• Laura Smith, San Diego, CA
• Patricia Ritchie, Omaha, NE
The 2017-2018 school year marks the second year of this proposed three-year project with the Library of Congress. Curricular units for Chorus and General Music classrooms were created last year, and are available for use by any music or classroom teacher in the country.
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National Association for Music Education, among the world’s largest arts education organizations, is the only association that addresses all aspects of music education. NAfME advocates at the local, state, and national levels; provides resources for teachers, parents, and administrators; hosts professional development events; and offers a variety of opportunities for students and teachers. The Association orchestrates success for millions of students nationwide and has supported music educators at all teaching levels for more than a century. With more than 60,000 members, the organization is the national voice of music education in the United States.
Follow NAfME on Twitter and on Facebook. For additional information, contact Catherina Hurlburt at catherinah(at)nafme.org or 703-860-4000, ext. 216.
Catherina Hurlburt, National Association for Music Education, http://www.nafme.org, +1 (703) 860-4000 Ext: 216, [email protected]
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