Instruments Can Be

Made at Home

 The First Note music program is adding a section to the website that will feature instruments students can make at home or in class along with instructions.  Teachers can use this as an optional activity to be enjoyed as either a classroom activity or a homework assignment that can involve family members. The iPod speaker project (pictured below) didn't quite make the cut!

 

 

First Note in the News

  "It's the same sad song played countless times: music teeters on a treacherous precipice in public education budgets. Though identified as a core subject by state and federal agencies, the arts don't come up in the standardized tests that determine federal funding. And they stand well outside the quantitative results-driven cult of STEM." (more)

  

Richard Kluge Elementary Adds First Note

 

 

"I can't wait to get started with my kids this year. I've been struggling to find useful materials for my PreK kids. It's my hope that all the kindergarten teachers will utilize this in their classrooms to reinforce musical concepts, but to also just have fun musically with students. We are officially an Art School and I know teachers are looking for easy ways to incorporate music. This program is perfect for us." 

 

--Ange Dvorak, Music Teacher, Kluge Creative Arts     

 

   

Playing an Instrument Enhances Your Brain

CMF was invited to present our research findings at the Early Childhood Music Education (ECME) Conference last month in Brasilia, Brazil.  In addition to research presentations, we learned new teaching strategies and enjoyed performances from local talent-fun was all part of the event!

Time to do More with Less

In a recent survey conducted by ASCD's Ed Pulse, educators were asked if their school or district expect to make budget cuts in the upcoming school year. 60% said they did expect cuts.This can be alarming on one hand, but on the other hand, can be an opportunity for teachers to utilize their creative skills. Both our youngest students and their teachers are amazingly creative and versatile.

   

 Welcome Claudia Batten

   

Claudia Batten has joined the CMF Board of Directors!  She will openly admit she is digitally obsessed. From her roots in commercial law, she has been a founding member of two highly successful entrepreneurial ventures. As part of the founding team of Massive Incorporated, a network for advertising in video games, she helped pioneer "digital" as a media buy. Massive was sold to Microsoft in 2006, where Claudia then spent 3 years scaling the in-game network. In 2009 she co-founded Victors & Spoils, the first advertising agency built on the principles of crowdsourcing. After two years in the market, V&S was majority acquired by French holding company Havas Worldwide (more).