On January 12, Maine Music Educators’ Assn District 2 held the Honors Instrumental Music Festival at Oxford Hills High School. The amazing High school band performance, under the direction of Grammy Award winning music educator, Jared Cassedy, is linked below.
Jared, music educator at Windham High School, Windham, NH was interviewed on CBS and you can read the ARTICLE HERE. I have also included a link to Jared’s CBS interview. The performance was outstanding!
If your district concerts are videotaped and you’d like to see them on this blog please send me the information at argy.nestor@maine.gov. Thanks!
Use your imagination to create a Google Doodle based on what inspires you. The 2019 Doodle for Google contest is open and this year’s theme is
When I grow up, I hope…
Students in the U.S. in grades K-12 are eligible to create a design, using any materials, and submit it to the Doodle for Google Competition. For eligibility, requirements, and rules CLICK HERE.
Americans for the Arts is home to the International Arts Education Research and Resource Exchange – or ARTS EDxchange – a digital platform fostering engagement and collaboration between arts educators and practitioners from around the world. Open to Americans for the Arts members and non-members alike, ARTS EDxchange is the first international arts education listserv, allowing subscribers the opportunity to share their work with a global audience and access resources on the cutting edge of arts and cultural education. Learn more.
This is the first-of-its-kind international arts education listserv, allowing subscribers the opportunity to share their work with a global audience and access resources on the cutting edge of arts and cultural education.
On Monday, January 28, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. you’re invited to attend the grand opening of the Greely Center for the Arts. MSAD #51 is proud to share in their celebration – join them for a tour, student’s sharing their talents, and to celebrate the opening of their new learning facility. FOR MORE INFORMATION!
Once again the Sarah Orne Jewett House is collaborating with schools in the Berwick area. This time two high schools; Berwick Academy and Marshwood High School. Read about what’s happening at THIS LINK.
The message below is from Maine Teachers of the Year, Shelly Moody (2011) and Kaitlin Young (2018). They’re following through with an initiative that Kevin Grover started before he died in 2012.
Kevin at the surprise announcement for the 2010 Maine Teacher of the Year.
Many of you may not have had the pleasure of meeting Kevin Grover, our 2010 Maine Teacher of the Year. Kevin made a connection with every person who was fortunate to cross his path. He had a deep commitment and love of teaching that inspired all of us who were blessed to know him.
Kevin created “Bring Your Legislator to School Week” with a goal of engaging, enlightening and informing policy makers from our local or state government. His intent was to provide school board members and legislators with a better understanding of how their decisions affect learners and educators across the state of Maine. In 2013, Representative Mary Nelson of Falmouth and Educate Maine moved forward with Kevin’s vision by sponsoring LD 822 in his honor.
Although it has been almost 6 years since LD822 established January as Invite Your Legislator to School Month, the Maine State Teacher of the Year Association believes that that it’s time for us to return to Kevin’s vision. Our goal is to begin an annual tradition of inviting stakeholders into our schools to meet with teachers, administrators, and students. It is our hope that this experience will strengthen the relationships between all parties, promote increased knowledge, and initiate productive conversation surrounding prekindergarten to grade twelve public education programs.
The following is an excerpt from a letter Kevin sent to his colleagues regarding his idea:
Yes, that’s Grover in the photo with Kevin and Vice-President Joe Biden during a visit to Washington, D.C. as the 2010 Maine Teacher of the Year.
I propose that teachers contact local town councilors, school board members, state representatives and federal representatives. Elected officials should be invited to spend at least one hour in a classroom helping and/or observing. It is not a time for a panel discussion, whole school assemblies in honor of prestigious guests or catered lunches, it is time for sitting in on a math lesson, reading to students, or joining teachers on their 20 minute lunch break at the photocopier. It is time for a dose of reality.
Let’s join together and start 2019 by building bridges with the decision makers who impact our students and schools!
For 20 years band directors from across the country have been nominated to the School Band and Orchestra Magazine for the award titled “50 Directors Who Make a Difference”. Representing Maine this year is Dean Neal, music educator who has taught for 29 years at Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield. Congratulations Dean! Below you can read his story published with the other 49 recipients at THIS LINK.
What is your proudest moment as an educator?
There is no singular moment which compares to the great sense of pride I have in being a part in helping music education become an integral part of the school community at Maine Central Institute. When I first began teaching at M.C.I. in 1990, music classes and ensembles were present, but they had not yet realized their great potential to influence the lives of each person in our school community. Through the joint efforts of K-12 Music Educators, parents and students, music now enjoys being a part of a vibrant arts community which impacts our school and local community in significant ways.
How do you hope to make a difference in your students’ lives?
I hope to give them a voice to express their thoughts, emotions, and creativity through music. Regardless of their chosen instrument be it wind, percussion, voice, piano, string or digital music creation; each student has something to say and something to share through music which is programmed for them or music which they select or create. Effective art has the ability to communicate with people in powerful ways and I am thankful to be a part of bringing that out of our students.
I have a zippered vest which I wear to school most days. On this vest is embroidered a simple three-word phrase “Work in Progress.” I want my students to know that I am a “work in progress,” they are a “work in progress,” the music we study is a “work in progress,” each class is a “work in progress,” and likewise each performance is a “work in progress.” This is not meant to convey a sense of never-ending work but rather the reality that each day brings with it new challenges and new accomplishments. It is exciting to be on the “construction team” of their “work in progress!”
Tom Lizotte
Congratulations Tom Lizotte, music educator from Cape Elizabeth High School! Tom was recently named the 2019 John LaPorta Music Educator of the Year by the Berklee College of Music and the Jazz Educators Network (JEN). Tom will receive his award at the JEN conference in Reno, NV, and at the Berklee High School Jazz Festival.
Thomas Lizotte is an accomplished music educator who has influenced the artistic lives of thousands of students. He is a teacher at Cape Elizabeth High School in Cape Elizabeth, ME. Thomas Lizotte has been in public education for the past 30 years. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, with degrees in music education and wind conducting. He has taught high school in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Florida and Maine. His primary jazz influences have been Dave Sporny, Dave Demsey Paul Alberta, Don Doane and Steve Massey. He is a regular contributor to The Instrumentalist magazine. Long active as a teacher and judge in the marching arts, he is a member of three teaching halls of fame – Massachusetts Drum Corps, Boston Crusaders and Maine Music Educators.
Governor Janet Mills nominated Pender Makin for the position of Commissioner of Education for the Maine Department of Education. Until the legislator approves the nomination Pender will be Acting Commissioner. Pender was a teacher at Westcott Junior High School in Westbrook, principal of the REAL School in Freeport and most recently has served as the Assistant Superintendent in Brunswick. She has been recognized for her work in education receiving the Milken Educator Award in 2001 and named Principal of the Year by the Maine Principal’s Association in 2013-14.
Press Herald photo by Andy Molloy
Quotes from the articles linked below from Pender Makin:
“Our work must start with rebuilding trust, first in the Maine Department of Education, and then, of course, in our schools, our educators, our administrators, certainly in our students,” Makin said, “and ultimately in the institution of public education overall. For too long, a negative culture has been crafted around public education.”
“Our work must start with rebuilding trust, first in the Maine Department of Education, and then, of course, in our schools, our educators, our administrators, certainly in our students,” Makin said, “and ultimately in the institution of public education overall. For too long, a negative culture has been crafted around public education.”
“The truth is that miraculous successes are taking place in our public schools and in our classrooms every single day and public education in Maine outperforms any reasonable expectation, especially given the magnitude of our responsibilities and the scarcity of our resources,” she said.
I hope you’re spending this holiday with those who you love the most, in your memory, electronically or in person! As my Dad used to say when he answered the phone during the holiday: “Merry!”
Maine Excellence in Arts EducationLast Tuesday at the State House Complex the celebration for the Maine Excellence in Arts Education was held. The Maine Arts Commission (MAC) was proud to invite young artists and musicians from throughout the state and recognize them for their accomplishments. Over 250 attended the ceremony including 160 students from SeDoMoCha (Dover-Foxcroft) and Marshwood (Eliot) Middle Schools, 45 teachers and students from 9 Maine schools/districts. The chorus students had never met each other yet they came together and sang America, the Beautiful (arr.
Marshwood Middle School music educator Kris Bisson and SeDoMoCha School music educator Kaitlin Young share conducting America, the Beautiful
Ruth Elaine Schram) which started the afternoon program in the Hall of Flags. It was amazing and moved many in attendance to tears. The visual artists were recognized for their individual artwork by Julie Richard, the MAC Executive Director and Charles Stanhope, the MAC Chair.
Students from Marshwood, under the direction of music teacher Kristine Bisson, performed a piece called The River Sings its Song. The original lyrics and music were written by the students during a collaboration with Kris and Brian Evans-Jones. Brian is a teaching artist and a poet who did a residency during the 2017-18 school year. Students made the connection between an unused bridge in their community and their place in the world as young adolescents. During the performance students shared the story of the work which you can read below:
Rowan: Our school is comprised of students from Eliot and South Berwick, Maine as well as from Rollinsford, New Hampshire. There are nine rivers in these three communities, with some that flow into each other, much like our student body blending two independent states. We could easily connect to our rivers and bridges since most of us spend time near them in our towns. WE CAN RELATE.
Sylvia sharing part of the story
Kelsey: We took a field trip to the bridge and river to discover the history this area has experienced. We were inspired by the natural beauty as we saw a great heron fly from its spot at the river’s edge. We wrote about the decaying bridge and the babbling river as the driving force that keeps going forward no matter what the season or changes might bring. This is how we feel about our own paths in life: nothing is impossible. WE HAVE PURPOSE.
Samantha: We learned about the native Americans, early settlers, and modern-day dwellers at this site. + We wrote a grant to work with a poet-artist-in-residence, Mr. Brian Evans-Jones, to help us dig deeply and gather thoughts into one complete lyric. + We learned how to create music that fit our thoughts and translate into comfortable melodies our voices could sing. + We trusted our fellow students to share our honest thoughts and ideas which led to a larger collaboration with our entire class; and later, the entire chorus of seventy-six students. WE LEARNED ABOUT EACH OTHER.
Julia:Our composition has two sections: one slow and solemn section for the bridge: abandoned, destined to be removed; another section for the river: always moving, reaching forward, regardless of destination, an unpredictable path. The bridge is presented at the beginning, for this is what you see from afar as you travel the road. But surrounding the bridge, always, is the river. The river holds hope: providing power still, for our town. It is cleansing. It is peaceful. It is free. WE CREATE OUR LEARNING.
Marshwood Middle School Music educator, Kris Bisson, conducting the chorus.
Eva: BRIDGING ADOLESCENCE: A RIVER FLOWS THROUGH USIN 2007, THE GREAT WORKS RIVER BRIDGE IN SOUTH BERWICK, MAINE WAS CLOSED BY THE STATE DUE TO DETERIORATION. IT WAS TOO EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE. ONCE A SCENIC DRIVE ON VINE STREET, IT NOW COULD NOT BE TRAVELLED BY CAR, BICYCLE, OR FOOT. WHEN OUR CHORUS TOOK A FIELD TRIP TO EXPLORE, WRITE, AND DISCOVER THIS BEAUTIFUL AREA, MANY OF OUR STUDENTS HAD NEVER BEEN HERE. 10 YEARS OF OVERGROWTH COVERED THE ROAD AND SURROUNDING AREA THAT HAD BEEN DORMANT. WHAT COULD WE DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Sylvia: PEOPLE BUILD BRIDGES, BRIDGES BUILD COMMUNITIES, COMMUNITIES BUILD OPPORTUNITIES. MARSHWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL CHORUS DECIDED THAT WE WOULD EMBRACE OUR COMMUNITY AS OUR CLASSROOM. The metaphor of ADOLESCENCE being a BRIDGE was an easy one to relate to because there is a path before us; yet we cannot predict the journey. And travelling the path is something we all have to do… sometimes together… sometimes alone… or sometimes with help…The elements of nature, history, and a sense of belonging are important to the human spirit. AND THIS IS WHAT WE WROTE…. WE HAVE POWER.
Kendra: We learned that a new footbridge for bikes and pedestrians is being planned by a local neighborhood organization. We wanted to help with this effort and held a school-wide Talent Show. We donated our proceeds to the Bridge Brigade towards the one-million-dollar cost of this project. We even had a model of the footbridge on display in our school to help spread the word about the efforts being made to keep a bridge in this location. WE EDUCATE OTHERS AND MAKE AN IMPACT.
Students sharing the story, Hall of Flags, State House
Dani: Beyond the notes, our students learned about each other and themselves. This project helped us to become reflective writers. We respected everyone’s personal ideas and many times offered encouragement to each other. We experienced creating melodies and harmonies that were designed entirely by us. We recorded melodies and emailed them to Mrs. Bisson or went to the piano to play what was in our heads so we could share with the class. And we shaped them all into one cohesive work: “THE RIVER SINGS ITS SONG”. WE COLLABORATE, AND TOGETHER,WE GROW.
Sabrina: In November of 2018 the State Department of Transportation removed the existing bridge. NOW THERE IS A VOID. We experienced history. We saw a bridge in need of repair. We learned that it wasn’t going to be healed. We witnessed photos of its removal. We witnessed loss. We would like to include two reflections from our chorus members to share the impact this project has had on our own development: “As we have experienced composing, practicing, and reflecting, I have developed a strong emotional connection with this piece. It symbolizes the change of our town landmark, but also the change I now see in me.
Kendra: “The struggles of adolescence are travelled by all of us and therefore, all can relate to this piece. The river’s emotions are brought to life in this lilting piece full of sorrow and mystery. Hope intertwines and creates crescendos of joy. Let the river sing its song!”
The performance was video taped in its entirety and posted on the Marshwood Education Foundation (one of the projects’ funders) Facebook page and by Senator Shenna Bellows. I suggest that you take a few minutes and watch and listen!
SeDoMoCha Middle School Chorus
Students, under the direction of SeDoMoCha music teacher Kaitlin Young, performed Glorious. And, incredibly glorious it was! The song was based on the composition performed by Macklemore, featuring Skylar Grey. The additional lyrics and choral arrangement was created by the SeDoMoCha Middle School Chorus which was based on their developmental transition. The audience was moved by their words and obvious passion for singing.
Olivia Larson, grade 4, Hancock Grammar School. Art teacher: Jane Snider
Thirty-six students representing nine schools along with their art teachers were recognized for their artwork which is part of an exhibit in the State House Complex including the Governor’s reception area, the Health and Human Services committee meeting room, the Education and Cultural Affairs committee meeting room, and MAC. This is a “first” time exhibit – the student work hangs in the same location as their teachers. The schools and teachers included in the exhibit are listed below. All are teacher leaders with the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative. Grade 4 student from Hancock Grammar School, Olivia Larson was so excited and proud she said: “This is the best day of my life”.
Gorham Middle School, Teacher: Amy Cousins
Hancock Grammar School, Teacher: Jane Snider
Jonesport Elementary and Jonesport Beals High School, Teacher: Lisa Marin
Maranacook Middle School, Readfield, Teacher: Hope Lord
Oxford Hills High School, South Paris, Teacher: Cindi Kugell
Brewer High School, Teacher: Lori Spruce
Richmond Middle School and High School, Teacher: Jeffrey Orth
Waterville High School, Teacher: Suzanne Goulet
Amy Cousins, Gorham Middle School art teacher and two of her students receiving their certificates from Argy Nestor, left and Julie Richard, right
The pride was evident in the faces of students, teachers, family members, and legislators. The art is on display at the following locations until April 31, 2019:
Maine Arts Commission
Cross Office Building second floor North and South corridors
Education & Cultural Affairs Committee room 202
Health & Human Services Committee room 209
State House, Office of the Speaker of the House
State House, Governor’s Reception Area
If you’d like a map that includes the location of each piece email me and I’d be glad to email or snail one to you.
Below is a video created by the Maine Arts Commission Marketing & Communications Director Ryan Leighton. You can see photos of the artwork at THIS LINKand photos of the day at THIS LINK. I hope you’ll visit the exhibit.
Argy Nestor
Arts Educator, Blogger, Artist, Connector meartsed@gmail.com
https://sites.google.com/view/anestor/
Argy’s Blog
The purpose of this blog is to share stories about people and places; and to celebrate the amazing work (and play) that students, educators, and organizations are doing in and for arts education. In addition, the blog has a plethora of resources and innovative ideas. This forum gives blog readers the opportunity to learn from each other. It is essential that we listen, learn, and collaborate in order to build on teaching practices for the benefit of every learner in Maine and beyond.
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