Programs & Grants

Our California Music Project Music Teacher Training Initiative places promising college music students ("Fellows") in public school classrooms, with seasoned teachers. This is a successful collaboration between the California Music Project and the California State University (CSU) system, first piloted at San Jose State University (SJSU), and includes key collaborations with local K-12 school districts. The California Music Project is on the cutting edge of a growing movement to better prepare future teachers for the rigors of classroom teaching. Our program provides undergraduates with actual classroom teaching experience and mentoring from seasoned teachers!

Purpose:

To identify and train promising young music education students and place them in low or middle socio-economic schools (K-12) near the CSU campuses, to improve music instruction at these schools and provide fellows with real-life experience coupled with mentoring from a seasoned teacher. An important success factor for any school music program is the teacher. Better and more extensive training for potential teachers, and support for current teachers is a tangible way to improve music education.

Project:

The California Music Project, San Jose State University, San Diego State University, California State University Northridge, California State University Los Angeles and key school districts have partnered to provide music education fellowships to music education students who work for eight to ten hours per week within local K-12 schools. Current teachers and administrators apply to participate, and a graduate assistant and the music education coordinator supervise fellows and provide support.

Benefit:

To promote permanent, long-term sustainability, and far-reaching significance to stem the decline of music education in California. It addresses music education at all levels; K-12, by providing assistance to current area music teachers; collegiate teacher preparation, by providing teachers-in-training real-life experience and financial assistance so they have the time to devote to this experience; future leaders, by utilizing an experienced music educator and potential leader in the field as a graduate assistant to help administer the program; all levels by creating a community of support around the university. The CMP anticipates this will make significant changes to area music education and we plan to replicate the program in other CSU campuses around the state.

Key Personnel:

Steve Venz is CMP's Executive Director, and also serves as Music Supervisor at Los Angeles Unified School District. In San Jose, the Project Director is SJSU Coordinator of Music Education, Dr. Diana Hollinger, who designed and piloted the Fellowship Project in 2006. Working with her in San Jose is Dr. Edward C. Harris, Director of the SJSU School of Music & Dance, and Maribel Martinez, Director of the Community Action Center. Craig McKenzie is the graduate assistant.

Russ Sperling is the Site Director in San Diego and an SDSU alumnus, and current Director of Visual and Performing Arts for Sweetwater Unified High School District. Russ has done an outstanding job of tailoring the program to meet the needs of the program recipients. Dr. Nan McDonald is SDSU, University Coordinator for this project and is assisted by Dr. Charles Friedrichs, SDSU (both SDSU alumni). Donna Conaty, Director of the School of Music and Dance at SDSU, coordinates funding for graduate students and serves as liaison to identifying other SDSU and San Diego area resources. Mr. Mark Nicholson, Instrumental Music Coordinator for San Diego Unified School District assists with placement of the students and Mentor Teachers.

Mentor Teachers working with CMP fellows have been teaching for an average of 10+ years, and several have been singled out for awards and special accolades.

Quote from a Graduate Student in Music who is teaching in the schools:

"We are reaching children from so many cultural backgrounds, but in music class they are all speaking the same language. I've taught in each of the music classrooms and served as the vocal director for the spring musical, reaching a total of more than 550 children at this high school alone. It's been a thrilling step into the real world of teaching."

Quote from Public School Teacher in our Program:

"As a veteran teacher, I value the exchange of ideas and skills that occurs with the participating Fellows in the California Music Project. They face the new challenges of teaching with a seasoned professional by their side. I benefit from their enthusiasm and hard work as we share the teaching schedule. It is a win-win situation and the biggest winners are our music students."
CMP Music Teacher Training Project

Mini-Grants for Music Teachers

Seven grants of $1,000 were awarded by the California Music Project to enhance successful music programs in middle schools in California. This is the first series of grants to be given to teachers supporting local school music programs throughout the state.

The CMP believes that it is easier to keep an existing music program from being eliminated than it is to restart one that has been lost. When music programs are eliminated, the first area of neglect is often within the middle school, When the middle schools, those "feeder" schools to various high schools, have shut off the pipeline of talented young students, the high school programs suffer.

We wish to acknowledge the important role that the California Arts Council played in assisting us. They used their grant-awarding infrastructure to screen and present grant proposals for recommendation to our CMP board. We would like to congratulate the following schools:

• Buchser Middle School, Santa Clara
• Culver City Middle School, Culver City
• David Star Jordan Middle School, Burbank
• Fairgrove Academy, La Puente
• James Curran Middle School, Bakersfield
• Sierra Vista Middle School, La Puente
• Vail Ranch Middle School, Temecula