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"I have a student in my classroom who came into the year with very little ability to communicate in English. He struggled in school and socially. When he became engaged in the music program, the other students were able to see and appreciate his skills. He became more confident and actually organized a few lunch time band practices...I truly believe that he gained much from the music partners."
- Bailey Gatzert teacher
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photo credit: Tom Wolken
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"The teaching experience really opened my eyes to important ideas that help me in my own playing, as well as ideas that help me work with children. I had a great time last year and I hope I can be a tutor again this year!"
- SMP tutor
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Ready, Set, Go!
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School is back in session and the SMP team is in full swing! Already we have been working with the classroom and music teachers at our partner schools, led presentations about our program for 4th and 5th grade students, and are planning the curriculum for our first few months of programming. Student sign-up sheets are rolling in, with a series of family meetings set for the end of September. Meanwhile, we have been hearing from new and returning volunteers about their interest in the program.
Our program will begin at each of our elementary school sites (Bailey Gatzert, Leschi and Thurgood Marshall Elementary Schools) in early October, where we will spend the first weeks in group sessions focusing on beat competency and other fundamentals of music instruction. The foundation of our program, one-on-one music instruction and mentoring, will begin in late October. Beginning in November, we will add middle school students to the program.
We look forward to working with our new Education Director and Program Coordinator, as well as to the launch of our new 'two afternoon a week' pilot program! See related stories, below...
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| Twice the Music! Twice the Instruction!
This fall, SMP will be expanding the program to two afternoons a week as part of a new pilot program. For each of the past 11 years, SMP has offered its free program once a week at multiple locations, helping beginning music students learn to play an instrument and read music. Starting next month, we will expand our program to two afternoons a week at select locations - one focused on general music concepts and ensemble activities, with the other continuing the focus on individualized lessons, guided practice and mentoring. By providing students with two sessions a week, we hope to accelerate participant learning about the language of music as well as increasing instrument 'touch time' so that students progress more quickly with their tone and technique.
The team at SMP is very excited by the potential and positive impact that the expansion of the program will have on students and their rate of learning and engagement.
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 Extending a Warm Welcome
As SMP prepares to welcome a new group of students and tutors to the program, we are also excited to welcome two new staff to the team and quickly put their experience and gifts to use! You can expect to see Margaret and Daniel's friendly faces at each of the elementary schools.
Daniel Lee is very excited to join the staff at Seattle Music Partners as our new Education Director and is looking forward to building new relationships with students, tutors, and the community, as well as making great music! Daniel's primary instrument is piano, but he also grew up playing tuba and viola. He earned his bachelor's in music education from the University of Colorado at Boulder and his master's in music education and conducting from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Between those degrees, he spent four years teaching band and orchestra at multiple grade levels in the Colorado public school system. He thoroughly enjoyed watching his students grow as musicians and young adults and is looking forward to achieving the same successes with the students in the SMP program. Margaret Brinkerhoff is thrilled to join the Seattle Music Partners team as our new Program Coordinator/ Americorps member! Margaret graduated from Boston University with a degree in music performance. Her primary instrument is flute, and she has played with orchestras in Boston, New York City, London, and Seattle. Margaret has enjoyed working with young musicians at Park Ridge Summer Band, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and as a private flute teacher. She plans to attend the University of Washington starting in fall of 2012 to become certified to teach music in public schools. Margaret is also a certified Kripalu Yoga teacher and has taught yoga at Boston University, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, the Tanglewood Music Center, and Boston Conservatory. |
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UWWS Guest Artists
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We at Seattle Music Partners are excited to continue our partnership with the University of Washington World Series and the Ladies Musical Club to bring guest artists to our partner schools throughout the year. This year, we will host performances by such world-renowned artists as: Carpe Diem String Quartet, Ritz Chamber Players, and Cedric Wilson et Bijoux Creole.
In addition, the UW World Series is bringing the Marion Anderson String Quartet back for two week-long residencies, during which they will work with string players at Bailey Gatzert Elementary and Washington Middle School. These residencies will culminate in a concert at Meany Hall on the U.W. campus this Spring! We (and the students!) are so lucky to have the chance to work with these wonderful professional musicians and educators. Look for more on the quartet and this residency in future newsletters.
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Where the Music Matters...
KEXP, Seattle's premier independent radio station, has chosen SMP to be its community partner for the month of September. With several on air spots and prime positioning on their web site, KEXP's community partnerships "create connections between listeners and deserving local charities" with the goal of "increasing awareness of the mission and work of local organizations and the impact they have on the larger community." The partnership includes a benefit concert at The Sunset Tavern in Ballard on October 8th, with proceeds to benefit SMP. Check out KEXP's web site here! . Thank you KEXP!
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Reverb Music Festival Honors SMP as Beneficiary
Once again, The Seattle Weekly's REVERB festival has chosen SMP to be the beneficiary of their all-day / all-night music festival in Ballard. With more than 70 local bands (including two featuring SMP volunteers) at 8 venues, this year's festival promises to be the best ever. Please join us on Saturday October 8th and support SMP and the local music scene! For more information, click here.
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Thanks so much for your support of Seattle Music Partners! We would love to talk with you more about our program and host you as a guest at an afternoon session at one of our partner schools. Please contact us at info@seattlemusicpartners.org for more information.
All the best,
Seattle Music Partners Staff
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