Partnering for Success: Kensington Parkwood Elementary School and the AEMS Alliance/Arts Integration Institute at Towson University (Maryland)
Updated on July 8th, 2008 • 
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written by mary f. whalen with contributions from john ceschini, rose ann schwartz, susan totkovitz, kay broadwater, barbara liess, and lillian pailen
story: Arts integration Model School, wanting to be more proficient in music integration, sought out more targeted professional development and made a commitment to develop, document, and disseminate multiple instructional and assessment strategies. By utilizing all of their partners, Kensington Parkwood is becoming a model LLSN school and professional development center where music education is an integral part of the school program. Through the leadership of the principal, John Ceschini, teachers at KP were able to share arts integration with others in the school, county, state, and nation.
Key elements:
- Deepening Partnerships: CETA, MATI, AII at Towson, MoG, LLSN
- Action Research Projects: Integrating Music and Writing: students listened to a piece of music several times and each time generated a list of ten words or phrases that described either the music or something it brought to mind, then wrote a story using as many of the descriptive words and phrases from their lists as possible. Students’ ability to use descriptive words improved dramatically. The success was most obvious with previously reluctant writers. Those teachers that taught Social Studies, Science, and Math to these students remarked on their new enthusiasm for writing. The parents were thrilled with the success their children were experiencing as young writers.
- “Follow the Drinking Gourd”: Students researched the history, music, and symbolism of the Underground Railroad in order to compose their own spirituals, create story boards in the style of Jacob Lawrence, and write historical fiction. Students’ ability to match emphasized lyrics to the strong beats and rhythms to lyrics improved. They also improved their use of proper musical notation to write their melodies.
- Rhythm and Poetry: project to improve reading fluency with a group of fifth grade students with reading difficulties by performing drum rhythms. Also hoped to improve the students’ self esteem through the composition and performance of the students’ original compositions and to see if this new learning would transfer to other classes. By-product of project was greater teacher communication and mutual understanding.
- Sidebar by Susan Rotkovitz and Kay Broadwater on Professional Development from higher ed perspective: “Teacher Achievement and Changed Teaching in the Classroom”
- Scale out: Kensington Parkwood is in position to become an LLSN Nexus School for the state and nation.