Fellow Friday | Music Education

To introduce you to our newest grant recipients, we’ve started Fellow Friday. Last week, we highlighted seven teachers who designed and are pursuing fellowships around Indigenous Studies. Today, we meet a group of Fellows who chose different avenues of pursuing a range of subjects supporting music education.

Click here for a complete list of grant recipients.

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Mark Billota | Roger Ludlowe Middle School – Fairfield, CT

Enroll in a series of virtual master classes in music composition and arranging from world renowned composers and musicians to develop skills that facilitate music composition that engage students in musical performances.

“There are times when a need arises for me to actually compose a part/song or arrange something for my students in a different format or style, but I’m lacking the skill set to do so, as this was something only briefly touched upon in my undergraduate studies and really not at all in my graduate studies. My students will really benefit from my ability to arrange “fun” pop songs they recognize on my own in a way that matches their current skill set.”

Jason Malli | Vinal Technical High School – Middletown, CT

Attend the Summer World Music Pedagogy Workshop at West Virginia University, SPLICE Institute for Arts and Technology Innovations at Western Michigan University, and Restorative Practices Online at the University of Maine to create opportunities for student self-expression-fostering performance as an experiential, self-paced, recreational, therapeutic, inter-leveled, individualized workshop.

“I’ve struggled to find effective and expedited manners to foster individual and group relationships that honor individuality and learning styles and also induce the curiosity, inquiry, and hunger to learn for sake of growth. Connecting to students in ways of mutual respect during such traumatic times to inspire them to want to
really learn enough to get them to become metacognitive learners is crucial and if that can happen in their
arts elective, those skills can transfer into their entire life long learning makeup.”

Michael Peters, Kim Shaker & Holly Sisk  | Tahlequah Middle School – Tahlequah, OK
Participate in the Broadway Teachers Workshop in New York City to receive intensive, innovative and immersive instruction from professional artists to give students a chance to express themselves through musical and technical theatre and address their need to experience love and belonging.

“While most of my assignments have a heavy component of choice (how to interpret the prompt assigned, what subject they want to photograph), students often struggle to tell their story. I want to study storytellers and artifacts from the past to see how first peoples documented their lives and connect that storytelling to the work my students do with photography. . I want them to experience the beauty of natural surroundings and I want to help them see the beauty in their everyday surroundings. I want them to experience how their everyday surroundings impact the story of their lives.”

Kathryn Morse &  Karin Mitchell| Groton Middle School – Groton, CT
Research in Trinidad and Tobago music rooted in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade to create strong historical connections and deeper cultural understanding for students, teachers and parents alike, as they discover the many commonalities within the school’s diverse cultural mix through music.

“We designed this grant to broaden our knowledge of world drumming, specifically African drumming, Steel Pan, and the development of the many other styles of drumming which emerged from the African and East Indian religious, cultural celebrations. We hope to use this new knowledge to create strong historical connections and deeper cultural understanding for individuals within our community, students, teachers and parents alike, as we discover the many commonalities within our diverse cultural mix through music.”

“Now more than ever, it is imperative that we invest in the most important component of any classroom — the teacher,” said Karen Eckhoff, Executive Director of FFT. “Educators are facing countless challenges every day, and Fund for Teachers is dedicated to further diversifying the ways that we can support them. Our grants represent trust in teachers’ professionalism, creativity, and vision, offering flexibility to meet the unique needs of each classroom, with the students remaining the ultimate beneficiaries as they continue to grow and learn in today’s ever-changing world.”

We look forward to introducing you to more 2022 FFT Fellows next Friday!