It’s not just Enrichment, it’s Essential. 

Schools are bolstering their education programs to address what is being called “learning loss”, but the longer school years and high-dosage tutoring are missing the point. Sometimes it feels like we’re only treating the symptoms of  “learning loss” but not addressing the cause. I think a holistic arts education for each individual learner is needed…

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Playing with Purpose

This half-day, hybrid face-to-face/virtual workshop will explore the use of LEGO® as a flexible medium for designing, building, prototyping, and performing with musical instruments. We start from the position that musical instruments can be used for far more than solely playing music. Instruments can also function as a means of exploring, teaching, and collaborating in…

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At Long Last: The 2020 Student Mixtape

Better late than never! After resolving a technical snag I was unaware of, our end-of-the-year songs from LAST year are finally being published. We used the DAW BandLab.com and a loose rubric centered around creating a lo-fi study beat. This was a special batch of songs for me because of the pandemic and the way…

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Will Education Embrace Remote Learning?

“Remote learning is here to stay for a while,” said Kristen Brody, a CPS parent who spoke at a recent online panel organized by Raise Your Hand, a parent advocacy group. “We need to plan for the long term and we need to have something in place for our families and our students.”

How to host a Virtual Winter Concert

With everything up in the air at the end of the year, the annual “Winter Concert” might be low on the list of your priorities. Don’t scrap this time-honored tradition, use the new setting, and circumstances to re-invent what it can be! Sure packing hundreds of students and parents into a gymnasium might not work…

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Never Let Go: an original song

An original composition written by two of my gifted 8th grade students for their graduation ceremony, inspired by their own final year. It’s now LIVE on Spotify! – Listen now!  (Recorded on June 13th, 2019, Performed live June 14th, 2019)

Art Assessment Materials (2.1.19 PD)

On February 1st, CPS Arts held a city-wide PD day at the Chicago Cultural Center, I was lucky enough to talk about how I use integrated assessment as parts of my lessons. I wanted to share the resources I used during the presentation with anyone who is interested. Assessment shouldn’t be a distraction from how…

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Why Arts Standards Matter

The National Core Art Standards were released in 2014, yet there are still some art educators are either resistant or not utilizing them to their fullest potential. I want to talk about how those 11 anchor standards and 4 core processes can be a great tool for art educators. Using them as platform for Advocacy, a…

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Presenting at the LEAP: InnovatED Summit today!

Learn how to incorporate music & the arts to create multi-layered immersive lessons that will both challenge and engage your learners. Using research-backed methods we will look at examples in multiple subjects, discuss practical application, and brainstorm ways to apply these in your own classroom.

Crossing Borders Music

Crossing Borders Music produces moving music that tells compelling stories by composers from under-represented cultures – music that invites audiences to challenge assumptions and learn more. Crossing Borders Music also presents educational programs to foster young people’s awareness of the diversity and richness of cultures and their music. The mission of Crossing Borders Music is to…

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