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Teach MAM – Second Quarter Grant Recipients

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teach MAM

 

Teach MAM: An Exciting Partnership to Strengthen Arts Education Across Louisiana

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CONGRATULATIONS! Congratulations to our second quarter Teach MAM grant recipients!


Elm Grove Middle School – Bossier Parish

Erica Barnett
Erica intends to use the funds to purchase books, art supplies and equipment for her special needs students.

Gibson Elementary School – Terrebonne Parish

Pam Labat
The funds from this grant will be used to purchase P.E. equipment for her class.

Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy – Jefferson Parish

Elizabeth Faucheux
Ms. Faucheux will use her grant funds to purchase art supplies.

Congratulations to our winners! You can apply all year at this link:
https://louisianafirstfoundation.com/teach-mam-micro-grant-application/

 

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Teach MAM – Our First Ambassador!

 

Teach MAM

 

Teach MAM: An Exciting Partnership to Strengthen Arts Education Across Louisiana

Our First Ambassador!

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Mickey Smith Jr. First Ambassador for the Teach MAM Program

Louisiana First Foundation (LFF) is proud to announce the selection of our first Ambassador for the Teach MAM program! Mickey Smith Jr. of Maplewood Middle School in Sulphur, Louisiana, is the recipient of the 2020 Music Educator Award™ presented by the Recording Academy® and GRAMMY Museum®. Initial nominations were submitted from all 50 states, and Louisiana’s own, Mickey Smith, was chosen as the winner! 

As the first Teach MAM ambassador, Mickey will be providing recorded music lessons available to all. A link is provided below to his YouTube channel. Here you’ll find his new Music FUNdamental Covid-Curriculum!!!! A step-by-step approach keeps beginning band students across our country engaged during this quarantine is provided. Check out the PLAYLIST entitled for virtual lessons. “MODULE ONE” is available for use, and more lessons will be posted in the future.

Look for them on the First Lady’s Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/FirstLadyOfLouisiana/

Mickey’s mission is to reach every student who enters his classroom. He serves as the lead band director at Maplewood Middle School in Sulphur, Louisiana. Under his direction, the band has grown more than 500 percent and now encompasses nearly 50 percent of the total school population. His goal is to help provide a quality education to each child in his classroom and throughout his community by promoting positive learning experiences where children not only grow musically, but personally too. Smith sees music and education as opportunities for all to discover the best in others and themselves. Through his nonprofit, MusicMakers2U, Smith provides instruments to children in the community. Throughout the school year, Smith conveys a message to students that each one of them has a “sound.” Smith describes his personal “sound” as his ability to entertain, educate and elevate everyone to excellence. This is made evident as he demonstrates the power of music by emotionally connecting with students, educators and audiences throughout his entire community and across the country.

LFF is proud to have Mickey as an ambassador and partner. With his talent and energy, the directive of having music education available to all students in Louisiana is one step closer.

Visit Micky’s Website: https://mickeysmithjr.com/

 

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Teach MAM – Teach MAM Grant Recipients

 

Teach MAM

 

Teach MAM: An Exciting Partnership to Strengthen Arts Education Across Louisiana

Congratulations to Our First Teach MAM Grant Recipients!

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Congratulations on a Job Well Done!!

The Teach MAM program will award three $500 grants each month of the school year to qualifying programs. Our first recipients are below:

Blackbaud Elementary – Terrebonne Parish

Melynda Rodrigue:
Melynda intends to use the funds to purchase Drum-N-Store buckets, exercise balls and drumsticks to promote an energetic workout and reduce the noise created by typical drums and sticks.

DeQuincy Middle School – Calcasieu Parish

Jessica Vincent:
The funds from this grant will be used to purchase heart rate monitors to be used in her P.E. class to promote heart and general health.

Lake Charles Charter Academy – Calcasieu Parish

Annie Smith:
Ms. Smith will use her grant funds to purchase paint and watercolor supplies, modeling clay, pipe cleaners, beads, colored chalk, string, etc.

Congratulations to our winners this month!

You can apply all year at this link:
https://louisianafirstfoundation.com/teach-mam-micro-grant-application/

 

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Teach MAM – Aunt Dorothy’s Teacher Toolkit

 

Teach MAM

 

Teach MAM: An Exciting Partnership to Strengthen Arts Education Across Louisiana

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH) Aunt Dorothy’s Teacher Toolkits

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New K–12 curriculum to focus on the sounds of Louisiana

 Lesson plans and videos centered on the state’s great musicians developed with teachers statewide

February 6, 2020 / New Orleans — The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH) announces a new initiative developing and showcasing new tools for teaching core curriculum concepts through the lens of Louisiana’s culture. Made possible through the support of Dorothy Hanna, a retired Calcasieu Parish schoolteacher, Aunt Dorothy’s Teacher Toolkits feature interactive and engaging classroom resources available free online at 64parishes.org/education.

The first series in Aunt Dorothy’s Teacher Toolkits is Louisiana Musical Legends, centered on the lives of nine celebrated musicians. Each Louisiana Musical Legends unit includes a brief musician biography, an educator-created lesson plan, and an original musician-focused video with student prompts—all designed for classroom use. Featured musicians hail from across the state and include Luther Gray and Bamboula 2000 (Greater New Orleans), Nellie Lutcher (Southwest Louisiana), Tony Joe White (Northeast Louisiana), Amanda Shaw (Northshore), Susan Aysen (Bayou Parishes), Kenny Neal (Greater Baton Rouge), Little Walter (Central Louisiana), Lead Belly (Northwest Louisiana), and Nathan Williams Jr. (Acadiana).

In partnership with First Lady of Louisiana Donna Edwards and the nine regional arts councils, the LEH held a statewide contest open to teachers across the state, inviting educators to devise creative lesson plans centered on the lives and music of regional musicians. The winning teachers, who each received a $1,000 prize, include Diana Turner, Bricolage Academy (New Orleans); Rebecca Holmes, Emily C. Watkins Elementary (LaPlace); Barbara Helveston, Edgar Martin Middle School (Lafayette); Julie Groth, Sam Houston High School (Lake Charles); Hallie Franks, St. Joseph Catholic School (Shreveport); Andrew Price, West Ouachita High School (West Monroe); and Kelly Stomps, Woodlake Elementary School (Mandeville). Their lesson plans have undergone further development in partnership with the LEH and curriculum development professionals.

“We’re so grateful to Mrs. Hanna for her generosity and vision of developing a creative learning tool for students, said First Lady Edwards. “Congratulations to everyone who helped bring this innovative concept to life. Music education benefits our children in many ways, both inside and outside of the classroom. Louisiana is blessed to have incredibly diverse and talented musical artists, and educating our students about our rich culture will keep them excited about learning and help lay the foundation to make the music last for generations to come.”  

Two curriculum units are available now, one on blues musician Kenny Neal, featuring a lesson plan aligned with 9th- and 10th-grade ELA standards, and another on New Orleans–based Luther Gray and Bamboula 2000, focused on the complex legacy of Congo Square and aligned with 2nd grade ELA, reading and social studies standards.  

Future curricula, to be released throughout 2020, will explore tone, mood and theme in Lead Belly’s original songs and later cover versions with 8th graders and lead high-school art students through the historic architecture of Lake Charles’s Nellie Lutcher Cultural District. Other curriculum units will reference the work of Tony Joe White, Amanda Shaw, Susan Aysen, Little Walter and Nathan Williams Jr.

The units also utilize key components from the LEH’s methodological approach to learning, developed for its award-winning PRIME TIME suite of programs and at the heart of all of the organization’s work. The methodology emphasizes participant-centered instruction and learning, with open-ended questions and respectful discussion that help create personal connections to the material and develop critical thinking skills.

For more information about Aunt Dorothy’s Teacher Toolkits or to access the Louisiana Musical Legends curriculum units, visit 64parishes.org/education.

About Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities to all residents of the state. Guided by the vision that everyone can realize their full potential through the humanities, LEH partners with communities, institutions and individuals to provide grant-supported outreach programs, literacy initiatives for all ages, publications, film and radio documentaries, museum exhibitions, public lectures, library projects, 64 Parishes magazine and other diverse public humanities programming. For more information, visit www.leh.org.  

 

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Teach MAM Micro Grants

 

Teach MAM

 

Teach MAM: An Exciting Partnership to Strengthen Arts Education Across Louisiana

Teach MAM Micro Grants

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Big Announcement for the Teach MAM Program!!

Teachers can now apply for a micro grant from Louisiana First Foundation. Click below and fill out the form to receive a $500.00 micro-grant to use toward your music, arts or movement program in your school! Two micro-grants will be awarded each month in 2020.

NOTE: The grant must be submitted by a teacher or administrator of a music, art or movement program that takes place during regular school hours. After school programs do not qualify. All applicants must be from Louisiana Public Schools.

Click here for the online grant form

 

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Teach MAM and the Lafayette, LA Public School System

Teach MAM

 

Teach MAM: An Exciting Partnership to Strengthen Arts Education Across Louisiana

Teach MAM and the Lafayette, LA Public School System

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The public school system in Lafayette, LA is fortunate to have a rich culture of arts. Educators in the public school system have long believed in the power of the arts to enrich the lives of students in Lafayette. We are able to provide students in all of our 45 schools with exposure to a wide variety of different arts programs with a talented and dedicated staff of certified arts teachers. Providing students with rich experiences in the arts is not limited to local school system programming, however. Over the years the Lafayette Parish School System has developed a number of lasting partnerships with the community to provide additional arts experiences to our students.

The Acadiana Center for the Arts (AcA) is a local community-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the arts and culture.  The AcA and the Lafayette Parish School System have been in partnership since 1979 providing tools for educators and art experiences for students.  In 1993, the two organizations, along with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, were accepted into the Kennedy Center Partners in Education program. They were selected because they demonstrated commitment to the involvement of education in and through the arts.  The partnership team participates in a number of ongoing collaborative efforts to make the arts integral to education in Lafayette.

The Primary Academic Creative Experiences (PACE) program was originally developed in 1999 to assist schools in establishing instruction that richly integrates visual and performing arts. Through the collaborative efforts of teaching artists, educators and the community, this program facilitates artists’ residencies in elementary schools. Teaching artists in the PACE program conceive of and implement the lessons with students in Kindergarten through third grade.

The Arts in Education Program provides a broad range of quality art events and workshops. One component of the Arts in Education program is the Teaching Artist Program.  Teaching Artists present a variety of arts experiences ranging from hands-on folklife and visual art to music and creative movement workshops. Another component of the Arts in Education program is the Touring Arts, providing performances in dance, drama, music, puppetry and storytelling, to name a few. Touring Arts performances are available to students in grades K-12.

All of the arts programs are showcased annually at the Student Arts Expo. This is a great opportunity to show off and publicize the wonderful work that students have created in visual arts, music, theater, dance, film, poetry, fashion design or puppetry and to increase public knowledge and appreciation of the arts by and for the youth of the community.

Its strong partnerships combined with the wide variety of art programs provided by certified teaching staff sets Lafayette apart from most other school districts in the state.

 

 

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Teach MAM and the ArtLook Map

Teach MAM

 

Teach MAM: An Exciting Partnership to Strengthen Arts Education Across Louisiana

Teach MAM and the ArtLook Map

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What do schools in Louisiana need to ensure all of their students have access to music, arts and movement? We asked a sample group of schools in 4 diverse parishes to share their greatest programming strengths and needs as part of our Teach MAM Pilot study this spring. Here is what we found:

  • 78% of teachers would like more supplies and equipment for their students (visual art supplies, new musical instruments, repairs for existing instruments etc.)
  • 71% of teachers need fundraising support to help fund their programs
  • 64% of teachers need help finding community resources and partnerships
  • 57% of teachers need more professional development

This year, we are using what we learned and building resources to help meet these important need areas, including an “adopt a school” program to match public schools with funding opportunities, professional development webinars to support teacher growth and learning, and planning materials to help schools create strong music, arts and movement programs for their students! For example, we are helping to launch a new resource for Orleans Parish schools this year. The ArtLook map (www.artlookmap.com), a K-12 arts education map currently used in Chicago Public Schools, is designed to connect schools with community programs and resources to meet their needs. Through these and other initiatives, we are working to make sure all children in Louisiana experience the creativity and joy of an enriching education. And this month we leave you with a bright spot in our Teach MAM survey: 100% of teachers we surveyed believe Music, Arts and Movement are very important to the development and growth of their students!

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The Teach MAM Certification Pilot

Teach MAM

 

Teach MAM: An Exciting Partnership to Strengthen Arts Education Across Louisiana

Teach MAM Certification Pilot

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The Teach MAM Certification Pilot wrapped up in August, and we are planning our statewide rollout later this year! During our pilot phase, the New Orleans Arts Education Alliance collected data from 14 schools in 4 diverse parishes across the state – Natchitoches, Orleans, Tangipahoa and Lafayette Parish. Each school nominated a MAM Liaison – a key staff member to participate in a survey and interview cycle about strengths, areas for growth, and upcoming need areas for music, arts and movement in their school and parish. Major findings included:

  • MAM programming benefits from strong support at the district level. Parishes with strong district-level support experienced more strength and growth in their MAM programs. Central district offices should appoint at least one key staff member to coordinate enrichment opportunities across schools.
  • Movement was the most commonly offered programming, with 71% of schools offering the state-mandated 150 minutes or more per week, followed by Music and Arts, with 47% of schools offering the state-mandated 60 minutes or more per week in each area.
  • The three highest need areas statewide for MAM programming were: funding (79% of schools in need), professional development (57% of schools in need), and adequate instructional time (50% of schools in need.) Schools also expressed a need for more community partners and qualified teachers.

These findings (and more) will be released in a comprehensive report this month. We will also develop a plan from our pilot findings to roll out Teach MAM resources across the state this year, concentrating on local funding support, professional development, and instructional planning support. Our goal is to ensure all schools have what they need to provide music, arts and movement to all students in Louisiana.

 

 

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Teach MAM – Ensuring Louisiana’s Artistic Future

Teach MAM

 

Teach MAM: An Exciting Partnership to Strengthen Arts Education Across Louisiana

Ensuring Louisiana’s Artistic Future through Better Data about Access

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 Ensuring Louisiana’s Artistic Future –
through Better Data about Access

A recent report issued by the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the National Endowment for the Arts notes that in 2016, arts and cultural industries in Louisiana employed roughly 55,000 people and contributed $6.7 billion to the state’s economy. Other research has concluded that arts education can improve students’ graduation rates, boost empathy, and improve critical thinking skills. It should come as no surprise that one of the most important tools for preserving and expanding these benefits to the state and its residents is data.

Data on arts education in Louisiana is critical to ensuring that every student in the state, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or geography has the opportunity to excel in and through the arts. A 2009 survey of roughly 500 Louisianans suggested that access to arts education was limited in many of the state’s schools. However, comprehensive state data is scarce, leaving policymakers, community leaders and families with little guidance on where the gaps are most acute or what they can do to address them.

But there is good news. The National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with Education Commission of the States, is tackling this challenge in states across the country through the Statewide Data Infrastructure Project for Arts Education (SDIP). The Arts Endowment and Education Commission of the States are offering tools and technical assistance to help states extract, analyze, and report on the arts education data that most states already collect in their statewide data systems.

In Louisiana, SDIP is working with the state’s Teach MAM (Music, Arts and Movement) initiative to examine possibilities for reporting on access and participation in K-12 arts education in every school and district. Such information would support Teach MAM’s goal to ensure that “all students have access to music, arts, and movement in our public schools.” The effort will explore strategies for reporting on arts education data in elementary grades, where data are often most elusive. It will also explore long-term prospects for collecting data on indicators not currently included in the state’s data systems.

Such data will help build the foundation for Louisiana’s artistic future. The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to be able to support the important work of ensuring that all students have access to an excellent arts education, in Louisiana and across the nation.

Authors:
-Ayanna Hudson, Arts Education Director, National Endowment for the Arts
-Claus von Zastrow, Principal, Education Commission of the States

 

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Teach MAM – Thibodaux High School Fighting Tiger Band

Teach MAM

 

Teach MAM: An Exciting Partnership to Strengthen Arts Education Across Louisiana

Thibodaux High School Fighting Tiger Band Awards Received in 2019-2020 School Year

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The First Lady visited Thibodaux High School in April of 2019. While she was there, the Thibodaux High School Fighting Tiger Marching Band, under the direction of band director Brian Dupuis, performed several selections for her. The chosen selections included “Belle of Chicago” by John Phillip Sousa, “Were You There” by Fred Allen, “Prelude and Fugue in Bb” by Bach.

Listed below are the awards the band received in the 2019-2020 school year:

Marching Band
Central Lafourche Fete de Musique
Superior Band
Best Music in Class
Best Music Overall
Best Percussion in Class
Best Percussion Overall

Dutchtown Marching Invitational
Superior Band
Best Music in Class
Best Visual in Class
Best Percussion in Class
Best Colorguard in Class
Reserve Grand Champion

District VII Marching Assessment
Superior Band
Superior Percussion
Superior Colorguard
Sweepstakes Award

Louisiana Showcase of Marching Bands State Championship
Superior Band
Superior Percussion
Superior Drum Major
State Finalist
7th Place State Finalist

Concert Ensembles
Bayouland Concert Festival
Symphonic Band – Sweepstakes in Stage and Sightreading
Wind Symphony – Sweepstakes in Stage and Sightreading

Only FOUR High School Bands accomplished a Sweepstakes at this Festival, and two of them were from Thibodaux High School.

District/Regional Assessment
Symphonic Band – Sweepstakes in Stage and Sight-reading.​
Wind Symphony – Sweepstakes in Stage and Sight-reading.

Indoor Percussion Ensemble:
1st Place in class at every Circuit show this year – highest numerical score at each of the circuit contests we competed in.
Superior Performance at Circuit Finals

Congratulations to the Fighting Tiger Band on a great performance! Hard work does pay off!

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