"The parents thought they actually had a teacher named Ms. Melody here at school teaching music.  They LOVE her!"

"The most compelling reason I can give you is that my students love it..."

-Elementary Kindergarten Teacher

Results from our pilot classrooms continues to show positive results as teachers find it easy to use, and students find it engaging and fun (OK---the teachers say it's fun also...). What needs to be shown now is that learning is actually taking place.  CMF collected data from both teachers and students prior to starting First Note, and will be collecting that data again from those same teachers and students once the program is completed.  A professional research analyst specializing in music and early learning will assess the data and draft findings that will be published. We expect this to be published sometime in July or August.        

Advocating for Music Education

The 2013 Washington State Legislative Session opened last month to an agenda filled with a number of education issues. CMF is fortunate in that several legislators worked together to draft a bill that will provide financial aid to those underserved in WA State. Passage of this bill will go a long way in narrowing the achievement gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" with regard to a quality music education. Four supporters of this bill testified, including Seattle School District Kindergarten teacher Emily Hume (pictured above), CMF Program Director Sinae Joy Cheh, CMF Board Member Sayoko Kuwahara, and CMF Executive Director Rourke O'Brien (pictured below). Much work needs to be done between now and final passage of a budget, but support is growing and we have pledged to work hard on behalf of our youngest students.