Ballmer Group’s Post

Thanks to Natalie's post and National Association for Music Education (NAfME) action center page, I was shocked to see a decrease in Title I funds and possible elimination of Title II (professional development) funds! As someone who strongly supports post-graduate professional development opportunities, I encourage you to fill out this quick form on NAfME's website and share your support. Here's the story I included on my form as I hope it inspires you to share your thoughts and stand up for music education and it's teachers! "I've been a public school music teacher for eight years as well as a professional development clinician for ten years. Title II funds are an essential piece to ensuring student and teacher success, and the threat of budget cuts or possible elimination of them is sickening. To provide some perspective, four-year teacher preparation programs only partially prepare teachers for todays classroom. Due to the extraordinary amount of credits required in an undergraduate degree program, college students do not have enough practical time in the classroom to be adequately prepared to teach young students. Some of these topics include teaching students with physical or emotional disabilities, teaching with technology, integrating new methodologies (project-based and STEM-based learning), fostering diversity and inclusion, avoiding teacher burnout, fundraising, copyright and so much more. Part of the reason teachers are leaving the profession is due to lack of funds supporting post-graduate learning opportunities. It's in-person and online profession development opportunities that provide teachers with the education, mentorship, collaboration, confidence, and support to be successful in the classroom. My own experience presenting nationally and internationally to various education communities has allowed me to better refine my craft as a K-12 educator and provide resources for teachers that wouldn't have otherwise had them. Presenting allows for refinement of skill, fosters the birth of newer pedagogies, and aids in the modernization of teaching tools. It also invites the collaboration of industry companies in support of crafting high-quality and effective teaching tools for the classroom. Attending and presenting at conferences gives me the intrinsic motivation to continue to do this great work, despite being underpaid and overworked. I hope you will consider supporting funds for Title II, I and IV to ensure a positive future for our educators and our students."

I appreciate it is a tight turnaround, but it would be great to talk Year 7-9 curriculum, pedagogy and assessment with you next Thursday 19 October at Flinders. See the post below for more detail. If you can't make this one, then there will be more to come!

Here are the 2023 Build A Band participants performing at La Fonda on the Plaza in Santa Fe, NM. Build A Band is a crash course in music creativity and business. The Band (The Third Hour) booked their own tour and traveled together with their instruments, dealing with venue compensation, lodging, travel and per diem situations. Overall, their work was very creative and most importantly successful. 4 of the 8 participants graduated high school and went to college. 3 of the 4 went to Eastern New Mexico to study Music Education and Performance. Build A Band is a mentorship and guidance based program. We learn by creating the opportunities firsthand and being fully immersed in the situations and the system. Such practices allow the student to fully understand what "action & go" entails and creates reliable human beings. How will our youth know the work if they are not involved physically?

Here is a recent blog post on tips for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students beginning their journey to enter your school's band programs! DHH students CAN participate and succeed in your music programs :-)

A useful resource - albeit reflecting the sad situation in schools today

Acknowledging the benefits of introducing music in a very young age, our organization offers special educational programs to new parents with newborns and from the age of four months old, babies can join our group family music lessons. Our curriculum is developed based on research that proves the benefits of music in early years and on the children's developmental stages. #amusedcy #earlyyears #earlyyearseducation #developmentalstages #eyfs #musiceducation #musiceducationmatters

This #PrideMonth, we celebrate the vibrant diversity of our music community. Let's continue to foster acceptance and love for all 🌈 Here are 4 Ways to Foster an Inclusive Classroom ➡ Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eWDjbVn5 🎵 Diverse Repertoire: Including music from various cultures, genres, and historical periods. This not only broadens students’ musical exposure but also allows them to see their own cultures represented. 🌎 Cultural Context: Teaching the historical and cultural background of music pieces. This helps students understand the broader context of the music they are learning. 🎤 Student Voice: Encouraging students to share their musical interests and experiences. This can lead to more engaged learning and a sense of ownership in their musical education. 💭 Critical Discussions: Facilitating conversations about how social issues intersect with music, such as exploring how different artists have used music as a form of social commentary. By integrating these elements in curriculum development, music educators can create a curriculum that not only educates but also empowers students by honoring their diverse identities. #TMEA #InclusiveEducation #DiversityInMusic

School prize draws are strange things; we've done then a few times. Prizes have previously been Pritt Sticks, dry-wipe big notice boards and other stuff I really can't remember now, but perhaps that's the point. These things aren't very memorable. They're handy for teachers and the school for a short while but that's about it. As prizes, they were a bit poor. So why even do a prize draw for school? What impact are we looking for and how should it align with our values as 'Blippit'? Blippit is about 'breaking down barriers to engagement and learning', so this time we decided to make children be the beneficiaries of prizes and find some way to break down barriers too. As luck would have it, when planning our most recent draw, we'd just launched a new music curriculum tagging dimension to Blippit Boards so choosing 'instruments as prizes' made sense. The thought of children getting their hands on free instruments was just a bit more exciting than children getting Pritt Sticks for us and their potential legacy much greater. In the end, what we did with our 'Summer Music Prize Draw' wasn't earth-shattering but it did show us that with a bit more thought, a prize draw for schools could try to do/be something 'more'. A school in Wales won the first prize (a dozen ukeleles) while a four-pack of djembe drums went to a very small school in Derby which we'll feature in September. For us, from now on, more 'thought' is the goal when it comes to prize draws for schools. Speaking of goals, come on England! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 https://lnkd.in/ez3c5Vwn