Citywide Music Teachers Professional Development

The first city-wide music professional development workshop for 2007-2008 was Election Day, November 6. A follow-up event is set for Tuesday, January 29, 2008.
The Election Day event day began with a performance of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” by the Orchestra of St. Luke in its entirety. This piece provided “working repertoire” for the day’s activities: used as a point of entry to the work begun in last year in Blueprint workshops. The Vivaldi piece was the focus for participants in clarifying and deepening their understanding of how repertoire, regardless of its source, can be used to achieve Blueprint-based instructional goals for students at all levels.

Following the performance, teachers and a designated DOE facilitator met with members of the OSL in smaller “break-out” sessions. Each group discussed and identified the salient musical, interpretive, and historical aspects of the Vivaldi piece. Each participant receive a complimentary Dover Press score of the complete work. Finally, paired colleagues and small groups worked to create a written “Wraparound” (curriculum guide) with embedded assessments, based upon “Le Quattro Stagione.”

Principals will need to purchase the workshop on your behalf as a FAMIS item, so it’s important to discuss the date and your plans, in advance of the registration deadline. For the Election Day event, principals had to make their FAMIS purchase no later than Friday October 26.

Registration is completed by going on-line to http://www.zoomerang.com/recipient/survey-intro.zgi?p=WEB226U744UTCW
Contact the Office of Arts and Special Education for more information about the January 29, 2008 date.
E-Mail: artsandspecialprojects@schools.nyc.gov
Website: http://schools.nyc.gov/offices/teachlearn/arts/index2.html
Phone: 212-374-0300