School University Partnerships
Music Teacher Education and School University Partnerships –
Through these partnerships, we are linking theory to practice as the students experience many of the situations, that in past classes they might have only read about. Instead of creating lesson plans as a paper and mental exercise – that I as their professor would merely comment on – they are planning lessons they actually have to implement, as well as reflect on what did and didn’t work and why. Their assessment is a room full of students who either are or aren’t engaged in their lessons, and are or aren’t learning what my students were intending to teach them. The city of Lowell is an urban environment with a large immigrant population. For many of my students this is quite an eye opening experience.
Bartlett Community Partnership School
When the Demonstration School became part of the Bartlett Community Partnership School in the Fall of 2005, we moved the 5 station music technology ePiano lab into the school and eventually expanded it to a 10 station PC lab. The Bartlett Community Partnership School is a Pre K- 8 building. Our General Methods students work with mostly their middle school students, being mentored by the school’s music teacher, a recent UMass Lowell graduate, planning lessons and teaching classes. UML Students are currently researching the use of iPads in the music classroom as well as the MaKey MaKey Invention Kit, developed by Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum from MIT Media Lab’s Lifelong Kindergarten Group.
Our newest initiative is our after school Cambodian Culture and Identity project funded by the UMass President’s Creative Economy Grant.
Kahtryn P. Stoklosa Middle School
As of Fall 2011 we are now partnering with the Stoklosa Middle School. We are working with their General Music and Choral Classes. Our students are working with students from grades 5-7, incorporating hands-on music making with a global perspective. We are investigating iPads in the music classroom for creating and performing. In 2014 we are currently explored the educational potential of a new iPad app Melody Morph, in a middle school general music classroom. This app is in development by Eric Rosenbaum from MIT Media Lab’s Lifelong Kindergarten group.
Murkland Elementary School
Our partnership with the Murkland Elementary School has afforded their chorus opportunities to perform with the UMass Lowell String Project as well as at UMass Lowell with Melissa Manchester. Our music education students are working with the school’s music teacher gaining hands-on experiences working with a variety of music classes at the school.
Greater Lawrence Technical School - Innovation Academy
Innovation Academy Information
The STEAM Program (grades 9-12) will offer students an exciting hands-on approach to learning.The curriculum blends the mind of a scientist or technologist with that of an artist or designer, enabling students to explore the captivating area where STEM, the Arts, and the future intersect . The college and career-track program plans to operate within the Greater Lawrence Technical School, serving students from Lawrence, Methuen, Andover, and North Andover.
Lowell High School
In Fall 2007 my class was taught in collaboration with two music technology classes from Lowell High School through an invitation from the school’s music technology teacher and former music education graduate from this program. Or music education students work side by side with the music teacher and her students in the High School’s technology lab. They learn some of the technology together as both teacher and learner, observe how a High School Technology Lab is run, navigate the differences that occur moving from a MAC environment (UML) and a PC environment (LHS), and gain experience working with urban students. Their culminating project in 2007 was a short film scoring project which has varied in each subsequent year according the the interests of the students. The UML students’ observations and journal entries suggest this is a successful approach. Many students have never experienced an urban school environment before and this partnership dispels many preconceived notions they may have. Their overwhelmingly positive experiences generally exceed their expectations and help to allay their fears about urban schools, which are fueled by a great deal of negative publicity associated with urban school districts.In Fall 2007 my class was taught in collaboration with two music technology classes from Lowell High School through an invitation from the school’s music technology teacher and former music education graduate from this program. Or music education students work side by side with the music teacher and her students in the High School’s technology lab. They learn some of the technology together as both teacher and learner, observe how a High School Technology Lab is run, navigate the differences that occur moving from a MAC environment (UML) and a PC environment (LHS), and gain experience working with urban students. Their culminating project in 2007 was a short film scoring project which has varied in each subsequent year according the the interests of the students. The UML students’ observations and journal entries suggest this is a successful approach. Many students have never experienced an urban school environment before and this partnership dispels many preconceived notions they may have. Their overwhelmingly positive experiences generally exceed their expectations and help to allay their fears about urban schools, which are fueled by a great deal of negative publicity associated with urban school districts.
Gena Greher@UMass Lowell 