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Music in Schools Initiative

Fourth Symposium on Music in Schools to take place June 6–9, 2013

Fifty Yale Distinguished Music Educators Announced

The fourth Symposium on Music in Schools will take place at the Yale School of Music June 6–9, 2013. Supported by the Yale College Class of 1957, the Symposium is a core program of the Music in Schools Initiative honoring outstanding public school music teachers from around the United States. This biennial conference allows Music in Schools to extend its reach beyond the intensive ongoing programs with the New Haven Public Schools, onto a national level.

From a pool of nearly 300 nominees representing 45 states, a panel of music professionals from YSM and NHPS selected this year’s 50 Distinguished Music Educators. The selected educators hail from 32 different states, including the first ever Symposium attendees from Kansas and Mississippi. These music teachers will travel to New Haven, all expenses paid, from across the country to attend the four-day symposium.

Workshops and discussions at this year’s symposium will focus around one main theme: The Role of Music in School Reform. The issue of school reform is a hot topic throughout the nation. Between recent programs like the Race to the Top Fund and the Common Core State Standards, districts are in ongoing discussions about what exactly our young students should be learning. Often in recent years, music teachers have been compelled to fight to keep their programs off the chopping block. This year’s Symposium aims to bring attention to the very integral role music can play in school reform.

The four-day event will open with a workshop with Richard Deasy, former director of the Arts Education Partnership, on the history of music’s role in school reform. A panel including Scott Shuler, immediate past president of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), will then deliberate current issues in school reform. David Myers, current director of the University of Minnesota School of Music, and Dantes Rameau ’07MM, co-founder of the Atlanta Music Project, will appear to discuss partnership programs between public schools and music organizations. The 50 teachers will be honored at an awards banquet at the conclusion of the weekend.

Yale Distinguished Music Educators 2013

Susan Alves
Cumberland Public Schools
Cumberland, RI

Abigail Alwin
Ann Arbor Public Schools
Ann Arbor, MI

Daryl Balseiro
Big Spring School District
Newville, PA

Dr. Wendy Barden
Osseo Area Schools, ISD 279
Maple Grove, MN

Cara Bernard
New York City Department of Education
New York, NY

David Bernard-Stevens
Geary County Schools, USD 475
Junction City, KS

Aaron Breeck
Montgomery County Public Schools
Mount Sterling, KY

Elizabeth Brown
Morgan Local School District
McConnelsville, OH

Franklin Casstevens, Jr.
Union County Public Schools
Monroe, NC

Christopher Clark
Southern Berkshire Regional School District
Sheffield, MA

Priscilla Coleman
Prince George's County Public Schools
Upper Marlboro, MD

Jennifer Collins
South Kingstown Public Schools
Wakefield, RI

Mark Collins, Sr.
Washington County Public Schools
Abingdon, VA

Sondra Collins
Marion County Public Schools
Ocala, FL

Larysa Dragonetti
Marple Newtown School District
Newtown Square, PA

William Earvin
Atlanta Public Schools
Atlanta, GA

Jerry Estes
School District of Clayton
Clayton, MO

Krista Fanning
Caddo Parish Public Schools
Shreveport, LA

Jason Flaks
Geneva Community Unit School District 304
Geneva, IL

Leslieann Grant
Red Clay Consolidated School District
Wilmington, DE

Ginger Greer
Greenville County Schools
Greenville, SC

Kimberly Grover
Yarmouth School District
Yarmouth, ME

Mark Gurgel
Austin Independent School District
Austin, TX

Elizabeth Hankins
Lakewood City Schools
Lakewood, OH

Sarah Jones
Marion Independent School District
Marion, IA

Judith Kramer Koret
New Haven Public Schools
New Haven, CT

Amy Lee
Rankin County School District
Brandon, MS

Christopher Lee
Newtown Public Schools
Newtown, CT

Rebecca Levi
Conservatory Lab Charter School
Brighton, MA

Eileen Maeda
Santa Ana Unified School District
Santa Ana, CA

Paul Meehan
Bainbridge Island School District
Bainbridge Island, WA

Brian Mitchell
Longview School District
Longview, WA

Thomas Murphy
Randolph Township Schools
Randolph, NJ

Ruben Orengo
Asheville City Schools
Asheville, NC

Kris Parish
Corona-Norco Unified School District
Norco, CA

Justin Pourtorkan
Oklahoma City Public Schools
Oklahoma City, OK

Paul Rausch
Woodstock Community Unit School District 200
Woodstock, IL

Tracey Redus
Round Rock Independent School District
Round Rock, TX

Sarah Reese
Anderson School District Four
Pendleton, SC

Sarah Ross
Marana Unified School District
Marana, AZ

Nancie Simmons
Gulfport School District
Gulfport, MS

Matthew Sisia
Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District
Oyster Bay, NY

Steve Stickney
Linn-Mar Community School District
Marion, IA

Patti Stoddard
Hibbing Public Schools
Hibbing, MN

Michael Swartz
Lincoln Public Schools
Lincoln, NE

Siema Swartzel
Cleveland City Schools
Cleveland, TN

Amanda Tierson
Webster Central School District
Webster, NY

Brian Timmons
Bergenfield Public Schools
Bergenfield, NJ

Liesl Wietgrefe
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
Fairbanks, AK

Stephen Zimmerman
Northwestern Regional School District No. 7
Winsted, CT