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THE NATIONAL MUSIC LEARNING LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
What are the goals of the institute? Who is it designed for?
The Music Learning Leadership Institute (MLLI) is a project administered in partnership with the Arts Education in Maryland Schools (AEMS) Alliance and the Music-in-Education National Consortium (MIENC). Funded in part by a Federal FIPSE [Funds for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education] grant, participation in the MLL Institute is the first step of an intensive, three-level certificate program for qualified teams of music specialists, teaching artists, classroom teachers, and administrators (and representatives and guided interns from partnering arts organizations and/or institutions of higher education) who wish to sustain high quality arts programs in elementary or K-8 schools.
The purpose of the MLL Institute is to create high-quality Music Plus Music Integration curriculum, teaching, and assessment practices that:
- focus primarily on authentic forms of performance and musical literacy skills, in the context of high quality musical literature from various cultures;
- expand the range and depth of music learning through a comprehensive set of experiences that compel students to listen, interpret, improvise, compose, inquire, discover, and reflect in conjunction with their music studies; and
- integrate music learning with arts, other academic and social-emotional learning processes, concepts, and historical contexts for the benefit of learning in both music and other academic classrooms.
Collaborative team leadership is the key to sustaining the impact of music in schools
The Music-in-Education National Consortium and the AEMS Alliance believe that the formation of proactive site-based Music Learning Leadership teams can transform schools into music-in-education ‘learning laboratory’ environments that will demonstrate how active engagement in music benefits all children’s cognitive, personal, social, and aesthetic development, achieved in the context of music- and arts-based school improvement/reform plans.
The Music Learning Leadership Institute will provide an exciting forum for developing and sustaining a collaborative leadership model that results in action research-based Music Plus Music Integration curriculum design, teaching practices, documentation and assessment of student learning, and professional development outcomes that measurably benefit any elementary or K-8 school’s culture and performance outcomes. Faculty will be drawn from the MIENC network of “learning laboratory” schools, arts organizations, and institutions of higher education.
Ongoing guidance and material support from the MIENC
Participant teams who attend this institute and then continue with the Music Learning Leadership (MLL) Certificate program during the following school year may apply to the MIENC as Learning Laboratory School Network sites that are entitled to MIENC Guided Practices Consultants/Mentors in curriculum, assessment, teaching, and research. In addition, individual team members are eligible for MIENC Action Research Fellowships ($500-$1000) for work documented and published during the following year.
INSTITUTE STRUCTURE AND OUTCOMES
A six-day journey into the principles and practices of music learning leadership
During the first part of the week (Monday-Wednesday), school teams at all levels of the MLL Certificate process will explore with peer teams and MLL Institute faculty the cognitive, aesthetic, personal, and social development aspects of music learning as a medium and model for integration across the curriculum. Using the MIENC Music Learning Leadership Seminar, Digital Portfolio and Journal Case Studies [see http://journal.music-in-education.org], and live demonstrations of various aspects of comprehensive music learning, all participants will investigate and experience directly the underlying principles and practices of authentic, comprehensive, and fully integrated music programs as documented in MIENC “learning laboratory” school cultures. Extensive breakout peer sessions and team planning according to certificate levels will also be scheduled throughout the week.
Mid-way intersections with the Artist Teacher Institute International
On Wednesday the MLL Institute members will be joined by participants in the Artist Teacher Institute International for morning seminars to discuss the place of Music Plus Music Integration curriculum and assessment practices in multiple arts and arts-integrated learning environments in schools. Wednesday will also feature a field trip to Washington, D.C art exhibits and musical events in the evening.
Planning an academic year of Music Learning Leadership guided action research
As each team member embraces the responsibilities and challenges of guided action research, the MLL Certificate process requires that all team members commit to producing rich documentation and assessment of both student learning and faculty professional development outcomes throughout the 2008-09 academic year. Thus, as the week progresses (Thursday-Friday), Music Learning Leadership teams will be challenged to create a comprehensive action research plan for the coming year that involves collaboration across all levels of engagement in standards-based ‘Music Plus Music Integration’ curriculum design, assessment, and professional development practices.
During the final day of the MLL Institute (Saturday), time will be given to sharing guided action research projects to be reported in the next MLL Institute in 2009. For MIENC Learning research goals will include collaborative research Laboratory School Network. Plans for ongoing academic years will be drafted at this time.