Thanks Everyone!

It's been a roller coaster kind of year around FES. thanks to everyone who supported the arts from start to finish, who fought for the content and the personnel alike. I consider it a blessing that our elementary students will still reap the benefits of art and music next year amidst all the other transitional elements. To my FES kids: I know you will love Mrs. McEvers! She is a warm and caring teacher who really has her act together...she will sure keep the room tidier than I did! :0) I will miss the students, staff, and families of Fortville Elementary tremendously! When and if things start looking up, know that I will be the first and loudest knocking on the front door to return to my kiddos. Come say 'hi' to me at the middle school...I'll be in and out of FES for my own children as needed, so I'll do the same. Thanks for the awesome musical memories...

-Mrs. Walton / May 26, 2011

2011-2012 MVMS Choral Director

"The music may stop now and then, but the strings will remain forever."

Our Music Students are Awesome!

KUB News crew took a trip to WISH-TV Channel 8 and learned so much. They even got to watch the noon news live from right above the anchors!

Mrs. Deckard's 2nd graders enjoy some fun at the Spring Parties...this was the last seasonal party for elementary students--EVER.

Second Graders are visited by the Morin Family of Greenfield, getting a great demonstration of the violin. They even got to play some student violins! (Of course I had to include a picture of my own son!)

Fourth Graders review note values with a Yahtzee-inspired game called "Quintet".

A bulletin board display I made for the board room (administration building) for the month of March...highlighting the importance of special areas to our children at FES.

Our rockin' FES Choir! Come see our Spring Choral Concert on May 3rd at 7pm. Hear Indiana State songs, pop/rock features, and a fun 50's Medley!

I'll post some pioneer program pics when I get the chance...we are all VERY proud of the 4th graders who wowed us with their performance of "Go West!".

March Update

The March school board meeting yielded a vote on several items, while others were tabled until the April meeting, by which time some variables are due resolved. As it stands, Fortville Elementary will be closed, we will move to the Intermediate building and become K-5, 2 music and 2 art teachers will be laid off, band and choir are eliminated for 5th graders, and elementary/secondary start and end times will be switched. It is FAR from ideal; however, I must look at the positive in that art and general music are currently being touted as a part of the curriculum for next year. Okay, I'm not holding my breath...Dr. Riggs still has several thousand dollars to cut. But I'm past anger and self-pity (I've said what needs to be said and advocated for the students to the fullest extent of my power/abilities to all parties), and have resolved to be the best for our children in the time remaining this year.

MVCSC Woes on Channel 6 News

Did anyone catch Channel 6 News Thursday evening? Check this link and see the video to the right (showing the "pay to play" chart).
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/26986463/detail.html

Round One

Last night's board meeting was attended by what looked to be a large crowd of concerned citizens, all eager to hear the discussion as the board processed the superintendent's cost-cutting draft of recommendations. Many good questions were asked by board members (or should I say bored members?) after the lengthy presentation. They seemed to echo many questions that had come their way from concerned families within the last few weeks. They did mention the massive amounts of calls and letters they had gotten, and encouraged more. So they are listening at least. Here's where the recommendation stands at this point:

• FES closes and moves to MVIS building
• Elementaries become K-5
• Intermediate School/program is discontinued for at least 2 years
• MVMS becomes grades 6/7
• 8th grade moves to HS, kept mostly separate from HSers
• elementary and secondary schedules are flip-flopped; instructional day is shortened to the state minimum--ES is 7:45-1:40 for students/Sec. is 8:30-3:30ish
• Half Day kindergarten would still exist, but as 2 1/2 hours in length
• Elementary Art and Music (by specialists) maintained for grades 1-5 (minutes decreased to 90, as opposed to 120 currently)
• Lose 1 each art and music teacher from elementary, other sets share the 3 schools
• Lose one art/music teacher from the Intermediate as result of dissolved school
• Cut 8th grade art
• Elementary teachers do reading interventions while their classes are in specials
• state mandate of 90-120 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction followed
• shortened lunch/recess for elementary
• Custodial, cafeteria, secretarial staff will be reduced (mostly FES staff)
• All "extra" programming (clubs, sports, academic groups) on "pay to participate"
• Continued freeze of all employee salaries
• Increase of insurance premiums, emphasis on getting people off of family plan
• At least 6 full-time teachers being cut (possibly up to 12 more before this is over)

Unknowns = outsourced transportation, outsourced custodial, state relief on property tax cap, how much more the state will revoke (we were just informed this week of another $15,000 shortfall due to a data error by the state!), CTA outcomes.

This recommendation package included MANY interlocking variables, and only addresses 2/3 of the 1.2 million total shortfall. At this point, it looks hopeful from an arts standpoint, but the CUTTING IS FAR FROM OVER. I am not holding my breath. If any one of these recommendations gets shut down (as a parent, I am having a hard time with the end time of 1:40, like many others!), the superintendent must find more places to cut. We all know where he'll start (or should I say RETURN). I want to be positive, but I am extremely wary about the next month of activity. I am concerned the hard scheduling work our elementary principals have done will be undone and we'll be back to no art and music for elementary kids. I will not be surprised if they slash and burn the arts all the way to HS. It's not pretty folks. Please keep supporting WHAT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR CHILDREN. That has to be the bottom line.

"Can You Here Us Now?"

Here's a brief update on the state of the arts at FES and all MVCSC elementaries. I cannot go into detail, as nothing will truly be known until the February 21st board meeting; however, I can confirm that there are people LISTENING to the concerns of our school family. Some administrators have indeed been working hard to look at options that might maintain the arts. Also, the upcoming board meeting will be open to discussion from board members only. The public is invited, but only to listen. There may be an additional meeting scheduled for public input before the March 21st vote. Do not stop voicing your opinion...someone out there is listening. Thanks to those who have already voiced their support for the arts at FES and all of MVCSC.

Blue Green Yel--low Red

This week, kindergarten students learn how color words make rhythms! Using small bingo chips, we worked on simple color/rhythm patterns first, then they got to compose their own 8-beat patterns and perform them for the class (look at it, speak it, and clap it). This is a great intro to notated rhythm for pre-music literacy. Some colors get one sound (quarter note) and some colors get two sounds (barred eighth notes).

Important Information for Parents

***This post is written as a parent and taxpayer of MVCSC. It is written from the heart of a parent with 2 FES children***
Parents: Are you wondering what you can do to help persuade the MVCSC School Board that cutting art and music from the K-3 curriculum is a catastrophic solution? Do you want your child to be wholly educated, and not subjected to a narrow curriculum based purely on standardized tests? HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO...

Write the MVCSC Board Members!!!!! Be a child advocate, if not an arts advocate!!

True story - a parent recently sent a letter to one of the board members stating that the elimination of K, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade art and music taught by qualified specialists was a "deal-breaker" for her family. She stated that the family would pursue an education for their student in another district that valued the arts. The board member contacted her and indicated that if 100 such letters of support for maintaining these subjects were received, that board member would likely urge colleagues to pursue other solutions and attempt to stop the recommendation to eliminate elementary art and music.

Parents of MVCSC, I urge you to take action NOW. This is not about saving a few jobs. This is about saving the education of the whole child. The benefits of consistent and well-taught arts education outweighs the possibility of larger classes. Consider standing strong for your child's right to creative outlets at school. Contact other people you know and perpetuate a letter-writing campaign.

The board is not the enemy, nor are any administrators or teachers. The only enemy is apathy. The district should all stand united for the comprehensive education of its youth K-12. Here are the names of our capable and listening board members:
President Kevin Burk
VP Shelton Oakes
VP Paul Riddle
Sec. Bob Hiday
Asst. Sec. Vernee Eads (Kelly)

Their addresses can be found in the local phone book. The next board meeting (during which the draft of recommended cuts will be presented) is

Monday,February 21st at 7pm.

If you would like your school leaders to hear you, write them soon. If you cannot, come to the board meeting. How about both? Our children need us. Public education is under attack and will soon look VERY different, through no fault of the hard-working educators of MVCSC. The least we can do is attempt to preserve the wondrous experiences and higher order thinking our children glean from arts instruction in our home schools. Thank you for your support.

Feed Your Child The Arts

A very dear friend gave this magazine ad to me earlier this year. It's found a home next to my desk at school and makes me smile every day. The details say: "Packed with Confidence and Self-Expression!" "The Arts--Ask for More!" "FREE INSIDE! Sheet Music!" "An Essential Part of a Well-Balanced Childhood!" "Feed your kids the arts. Studies have shown that involvement in the arts helps kids increase test scores and promotes academic achievement. For 10 simple ways to get more art into your child's life, visit AmericansForTheArts.org."

Re-Evaluating Value

http://zackhayhurst.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/re-evaluating-value/
Take time to read this person's perspective on why our society has lost its value of arts education. It's not long and it offers some very valid points.

Teaching Music Literacy Early

"Learn as much as you can while you are young, since life becomes too busy later.” ~Dana Stewart Scott

It’s well known that exposure to all sorts of experiences for children at young ages is very critical in their early development. Learning languages are a great example of this: the art of learning a whole new language happens best when children are young.
Literacy experts tell us that if want our children to love reading, then start young. So why should learning music or music theory be any different?
I believe that the real and common sense answer is that it shouldn’t be. If we want our children to love reading, what do we do? We sit them up in a warm cozy bed with us, cuddle them and quietly read together with the most fun, zaniest, craziest voices and actions we can! Is it boring to your child?….No way! They love it! Do you make it feel tedious and hard?…No way-it’s something we love to do with them and it’s easy! Do we start doing this when they’re ready to go to high school?…No way! We do this when they’re babes in arms… when they’re toddlers and primary age... when they love the sound of our voices… when they love being with us all the time! And here’ the big one…..If we read to our children in this nurturing, loving , fun environment when they’re young, do we set them up for failure?… No way! Our kids are going to grow up being highly successful readers!
So why do we often leave learning music theory knowledge until when our kids are learning it as late as high school age? Is it possible to learn music theory at a young age, even before our children learn to write? Is it possible to make it fun, zany, crazy and exciting? You bet!"

*taken from Teaching Resources for Music Education-The Music Teacher's Blog, Oct. 2010

Support Music Parent Quote

“What one learns in a music class never leaves that person. It is extremely important to teach music at an early age so this life-long skill is always with them no matter where they go or what they do. Music is the fabric of life!”
-Doris U., Kansas

Support Music Quote

“Music teachers are the BEST reading teachers any school has … Language is symbolic, just as are the alphabet, phonics, numbers, etc. Obviously, music falls into that category as well. Children need to learn to DECODE in order to read. Music is rich with opportunities to decode and interpret. We are constantly challenging children with the sound/symbol relationship. Through movement and rhythm, we can also help them learn to decode…

“NO child can read fluently without crossing the mid-line of the body fluently. Our eyes must travel easily from left to right and back in order to read. Many children who are struggling with reading do not have adequately developed mid-line crossing skills. It is very difficult to train the eyes to do this; however, if taught through large motor skills, mid-line crossing skills almost magically transfer to fluid eye movement for reading. So, as we learn crossover borduns on barred instruments, wave streamers in a figure-eight pattern for a Chinese Ribbon Dance, play Shadows and Mirrors, dance a Grapevine, play a rhythmic rock passing game, etc., we are helping with fluid mid-line issues. And we are helping with right/left brain integration. "

- Meg de Mougin, co- director of the Midwest Institute Academy of the Arts, Midwest Institute's Kids Private Day School in Terre Haute, Indiana

Another Blast From the Past

Fourth Grade and QUEST students give it their best at last year's pioneer musical, Gold Dust or Bust. What a joy to see students pouring themselves into their part and their singing.

These four friends were doing a demonstration of 4-beat rhythms while using bubble gum. I know, what kind of music teacher allows gum in music class?!? This was a neat way for these former 3rd graders to create intentional sounds and silences on the beat. It wasn't easy; they had to chomp on the steady beat and when instructed, blow/pop a bubble on the correct beat!

National Standards for Music Education

Here's a link to an easy-read document of the National Standards for Music Education. These are the standards on which I base all music instruction and assessment at FES. For those that prefer a melodious version of the standards, check out the video clip. Sure wish I would've had that during undergrad when memorizing the standards! :0)
http://www.rhythmandmoves.com/pdf/National%20Standards%20for%20Music%20Education.pdf

Congressional Resolution for Music Education

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=sc110-33

Decreed in 2007...several salient points here, but notice especially the final sentence of the resolution.

Making Music at FES

A blast from the past! Students (some current and some former are caught having fun in music class! Above, K. and J. do a "noisy newspaper notes" project while studying the letter N in kindergarten.

M. and K. use skittles to practice placing notes on the treble staff in fourth grade.

Last year's second graders took part in the first ever Instrument Petting Zoo, sponsored by Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. What a wonderful hands-on opportunity and supplement to their instruments of the orchestra mega-unit! I plan to utilize this resource for years to come!

Above: D. gives the trumpet a try.

D. digs the low brass!

T. learns the finer points of bowing a cello.

Music Advocacy Action Kit

This originates from Australia, but it has some good advice if you are a person of action. I would be happy to offer "proof in the pudding" in reference to our primary music curriculum.
action kit for music education - Google Search: "www.imp.act.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/53859/Kit6.pdf"

A Must-See Song

www.notonthetest.com

The Arts Teach

Why Music Education Belongs in Public Schools

Come Back Often

This blog serves as a means to inform the FES community of the goings-on relevant to Fortville Elementary Music Education. It will contain anecdotes, resources, videos, and pictures. It will be used to communicate during the good, bad, and ugly times. At this time, we are experiencing some unfortunate and scary things that will have an impact on the arts at FES. Come back often to become educated, as now is the time for music advocacy in our community. Your continued support of the arts at FES is very much appreciated.