What I Did This Summer Missy Strong
Mount Laurel Township School district
strongfamily6@gmail.com
we know it. At least that’s what we try to tell ourselves during this ex- hausting season of dress rehearsals, concerts, musicals, and contests. There’s no denying that the beach is great; a much-needed time of re- covery from yet another challeng- ing school year gone by. But let’s be honest- how many cold drinks, fun, and funnel cakes can one per- son take? How much rest and re- laxation can we absorb before we don’t know what to do with our- selves? Ok, I don’t really feel that way
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and I’m guessing you don’t either. Personally, summer is my favorite, and as a native Floridian, I’m ge- netically predisposed to love the beach. So why in the WORLD would I, or any music teacher carve time out of our summer to take a class? I believe it has to do with the fact that, during the school year, we are on our own so much of the time. Music teachers often work in isolation, rarely able to see our district colleagues or other music teachers. Most building or district PD has little, if anything, to do with our specialty.
TEMPO
h, summertime. It feels far away, but of course it will be here before
So being immersed in a class with a good instructor and like- minded colleagues is a rejuvenat- ing experience. Spending a few days or even a week or two in the summer in this manner can totally recharge our batteries for the up- coming year. Outstanding profes- sional development should tran- scend
learning something new,
although that is very important. It should inspire teachers to better our instruction and help us grow our support system of fellow music teachers. So with all this in mind, it seems wise to be proactive and find the perfect summer profes- sional development opportunities. If you are a preschool, elemen-
tary, or upper elementary general music teacher looking for sum- mer opportunities for learning in the New Jersey/Pennsylvania/New York City area, consider taking one of the Feierabend Association for Music Education’s (FAME) Certification Courses. There are courses being offered this summer in Piscataway, Bellmawr in South Jersey, at Hofstra on Long Island, and at West Chester University in PA. These 20-30 hour classes usu- ally run anywhere from 3-5 days and offer FAME certification for
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teachers who successfully com- plete them. We are really fortunate in NJ to have so many options in our area because we have so many of the FAME Endorsed Teacher Trainers right here in the North- east.
Why consider FAME certifica-
tion? Because we know that fewer and fewer of our young students enter our music rooms with a bank of nursery rhymes, lullabies, and folk songs. Because of this, a large chunk of our job becomes “mak- ing up for lost time” by providing a rich musical environment for these students. To grow musically, these students have to sing, move, and play as much as possible un- der our guidance. Our older stu- dents, once they become tuneful, beatful, and artful must continue to grow as musicians. But what are the best ways to accomplish these goals? What activities should we be doing, and what is the best se- quence for doing them? It can be overwhelming, but John Feiera- bend created and developed two wonderful programs to address these needs. These programs advance what
Feierabend calls his “30-year plan” for children. This means that the
MAY 2018
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