Collaborative Partnerships between Schools, Communities, Universities, and other Organizations: Working Toward a Better Music Elizabeth Menard
Education for Urban Youth In this column we highlight the Music Plus Pro- gram, a collaborative partnership between Bowling Green State University, College of Musical Arts and Toledo Public Schools. The current director is Dr. Elizabeth Menard, from the Music Education Department at BGSU. The program was started by Victor Ellsworth and Anna Bognar, College of Mu- sical Arts, in 1991. After several pilot programs, the BGSU Music Plus Program was established with Victor Ellsworth, director of the program. Anabelle Bognar, co-director, was instrumental in developing the comprehensive musicianship and keyboard component of the program. The primary purpose of the project was stated as: “Provid- ing music instruction and related academic-type experiences that the students in the project might not have had an opportunity to experience because of financial limitations.” The questions were posed by columnist Barbar O’Hagin and answered by Dr. Elizabeth Menard.
What is the background and history of the school community and the Music Plus program?
Music Plus was originated during the 1990s and designed to provide creative experiences for high school students, many from underprivileged areas, attending Libbey High School in Toledo, Ohio. The initial idea was to get students to a college campus and improve possibilities for college attendance for those students. When Libbey High School closed in 2009, I researched to identify the schools to which students were newly assigned, and continued the program. There are now three TPS high school band and string programs engaged in the program.
Band and orchestra directors at each school nomi- nate four or five students to the program. They begin the year with 30 students (the limit) and typi- cally end with 22-23 by the end of the year. I am highly interested in extending the program to junior high/middle school students, but I’m limited by budget, time, and use of facilities. Students use two piano labs, private studios, practice rooms, and two large chamber ensemble rehearsal rooms.
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Initially, students were brought to BGSU campus in vans driven by graduate students to participate in the program. The students brought their individual instruments with them for two hours of instruc- tion: 40 minutes each of music, creative writing, and creative drama. Today, Toledo Public Schools buses/bus drivers hired by the Program bring students to campus. I hired an off-duty TPS school officer to meet students at 8:30 p.m. when the buses return them to their school. This officer provides safety and assures that all students are picked up by a family member.
The College of Musical Arts is the only department that has continued the Music Plus Program to this date. The CMA believes that the program plays a vital role in the community. The public school stu- dents participate in private music lessons on their instruments, small chamber group experiences, side-by-side large ensembles with their teachers, and a comprehensive musicianship class, which includes piano, music theory, composition, and im- provisation experiences. BGSU faculty and music education students—both graduate and undergradu- ate, provide the instruction.
How is the program financed?
Music Plus has been underwritten by two very gen- erous donors in the community. Currently, they are working toward establishing a foundation to run the program in the future. The College of Musical Arts does not provide funding, but it does support the program in other vital ways. Dr. Menard’s teaching load includes her Music Plus directorship. These donors support the program further by saving one wing of the music building for their Wednesday evening activities. Other faculty has been involved from time to time offering their support. For ex- ample, Toledo Public Schools have a strong string program and Professor Elaine Colprit has estab- lished a successful collaborative field experience in string education as a component of the Music Plus Program.
What do you perceive as the educational needs of
Cultural Diversity & Social Justice
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