A Great Teacher Can Make The Difference

University music students training to be music teachers need an adequate amount of time to work with public school students in order to develop into excellent teachers. The California Music Project has created a fellowship program to provide promising university students the additional amount of time to teach in an elementary, middle or high school under the guidance of a mentor music educator. This additional training, beyond the brief student-teaching experience, gives the CMP fellows the much needed time to develop their music teaching strategies and pedagogical skills in order to become great music teachers. CMP fellows are given the chance to turn theory into practice. By participating in this hands-on, applicable experience, CMP fellows are more equipped to teach and be successful with their students during their first years of teaching. CMP fellows develop into great teachers that make the difference with their students.

Students Need Equitable Access to Music Education

Due to residual affects of the budget cuts in California public education, many students in urban public schools do not receive any music education.

Why is this a problem? Why do students need music education?

By studying and performing music, elementary, middle and high school students become disciplined, team-oriented problem solvers who are confident and able to think creatively. In addition, students participating in middle and high school music programs do not drop out of high school despite difficulties in other academic classes. The California Music Project is providing a solution to this problem by providing university music education students fellowships to teach in the public schools.

CMP Fellows provide choral or instrumental music instruction to students who live in low socioeconomic, urban communities. Collaborating with a mentor music teacher, the CMP Fellow complements and supports the instruction provided by the mentor teacher. By providing instruction according their musical specialty, the CMP Fellow enhances the mentor teacher's school music program and expands the learning opportunities to students in the school. The CMP Fellow also provides additional standards-based instruction aligned with the music teacher's lessons. During this time, CMP Fellows develop caring and responsive relationships with their students, and through these relationships, students become more engaged in learning and more willing to contribute to the school community. Through CMP fellowship program, students are provided equitable access to a quality, rigorous music education in the public schools.