What Studying the Brain Tells Us About Arts Education

George Lakoff, Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics at U.C. Berkeley, emphasizes that the bridge between existing knowledge and new ideas is imagination. In this talk, he stresses the importance of educators incorporating the arts into educational curriculum, in order to nurture creative thinking. Lakoff is an American cognitive linguist, best known for his thesis that lives of individuals are significantly influenced by the central metaphors they use to explain complex phenomena. Very technical but interesting talk if you have time to watch.

Music can heal your soul

"While I'm enjoying my life as a happy musician, I'm earning a lot more recognition than I've ever imagined. But it's now your turn. Changing your perspectives will not only transform you but also the whole world. Just play your life with all you have, and share it with the world."
In her quest to become a world-famous violinist, Ji-Hae Park fell into a severe depression. Only music was able to lift her out again - showing her that her goal needn’t be to play lofty concert halls, but instead to bring the wonder of the instrument to as many people as possible.
- Watch also "Ji-Hae Park: Bringing joy through the violin"

The Healing Power of Music

"No matter how lost you are, music can bring you home" 
Dr. Oliver Sacks talks about the Healing Power of Music and the Grateful Dead's role in helping to reach one of his patients in a new way."The Music Never Stopped", a movie inspired by this story,  is a tale of a father who struggles to bond with his estranged son, after he suffers from a brain tumor that prevents him from forming new memories. Unable to shed light on their strained relationship, the father must connect with him through music. "The Music Never Stopped: Roots of the Grateful Dead" is a 1995 compilation album of songs, performed by the original artists, that the American rock group the Grateful Dead covered and performed live throughout their career.

Music is essential to our humanness

André de Quadros is a conductor, ethnomusicologist, music educator, and human rights activist who has conducted and undertaken research in over forty countries and is a professor of music at Boston University. Musical notes can also melt prison bars. De Quadros's work leading multicultural and prison choirs around the world, from Thailand to the Palestinian territories, inspired Jamie Hillman (CFA'14) to bring the power of music into the Massachusetts prison system. Together this year, student and mentor started their days at MCI-Norfolk, a medium-security men's prison. While the goal of the class was to cultivate an appreciation for music of diverse periods and styles, they also wanted to "provide an outlet for self-expression and discovery," says de Quadros, and to "empower and validate" the participants. And apparently, it worked. One prisoner says the class "got us in touch with that which makes us fundamentally human."
- Read about "Finding Freedom through Song"

The World in Six Songs

"Music has shaped the world through six kinds of songs: friendship, joy, comfort, knowledge, religion and love."
Dr. Daniel Levitin, along with the Sonos and LACDC, shows us how the evolution of the human brain made possible music, art, science and society as we know them. He does all this while uncovering six fundamental ways that songs communicate emotion and ideas and so have built human nature. He is currently a James McGill Professor of Psychology, Behavioural Neuroscience, and Music at McGill University (Montreal, Quebec), and Dean of Arts and Humanities at the Minerva Schools at KGI. He is the author of "This Is Your Brain On Music" and "The World in Six Songs". Interesting talk.

Expecting More From Teaching

"Our duties to our struggling kids and really to all kids is to expect more from them. But in order to expect more from them, we have to expect more from ourselves"

Deanna LeBlanc has taught for eleven years in Northern Nevada at Echo Loder and East Valley Elementary Schools. Deanna was named the 2012 Nevada Teacher of the Year in part because of her work with special education students in her classroom and in assisting her colleagues with their struggling learners as a member of the Instructional Consultation Team. In this talk, she discusses how teachers need to expect more from themselves and those around them. Very inspiring.

Rethinking Learning

Katie Salen, executive director of nonprofit design studio Institute of Play, offers a look inside the ground-breaking school in New York City that she co-founded, Quest to Learn, the nation's first public school based on the principles of game design. The school uses these core principles as a framework to help students become lifelong learners and design thinkers. MacArthur Foundation's grantmaking aims at determining how digital media are changing the way young people learn, play, socialize, and participate in civic life. Answers are critical to education and other social institutions that must meet the needs of this and future generations.
-- Watch "New York City's Quest to Learn Public School: Rethinking Learning"
-- Watch Quest Learning in action

What Does Connected Learning Look Like?

Ninth-grader Charles Raben (student at Quest to Learn) has seen first-hand that by connecting the many spheres of his life -- peers, interests and academic pursuits -- new learning experiences can and will present themselves in both organized and unstructured ways. In the summer of 2012, Charles utilized his photography skills and the petition website Change.org to capture and share the story of Jerry Delakas, a longtime local newsstand operator who was in danger of losing his New York City license over a technicality. "I wanted to have that experience of creating change myself." The petition-making process proved to be a life-changing learning experience for the teen. Charles has become even more engaged in school, and all of his academic work is improving as a result of all of these activities because he has an identity now. A single sentence on his photography blog eloquently bares this newfound identity: "Each face tells a story and I try to capture just that." (from Connected Learning website)
-- Read more HERE


Charles Raben, 9th Grade Student at Quest to Learn from Institute of Play on Vimeo.

Digital Literacy is the New Literacy

The Digital Youth Network (DYN) was founded in 2006 by Dr. Nichole Pinkard at the University of Chicago’s Urban Education Institute. DYN is a project that supports organizations, educators and researchers in learning best practices to help develop our youths’ technical, creative, and analytical skills. Originating from the keen desire to understand and support urban youth in learning digital media for their educational development, DYN grew as a resource to help youth understand how to use digital media for all aspects of their lives. As technology rapidly evolves, supporting our underprivileged youth in school and out of the classroom has become a critical and timely issue to address. In an effort to resolve these conditions, they have created iRemix social learning network for students in formal and informal settings; Co-founded YOUmedia – along with the Chicago Public Library – to develop innovative spaces for youth; and implemented Chicago City of Learning – with Chicago’s Mayor’s Office – to join together learning opportunities for youth. Their goal is to create an equal platform for ALL to be digitally literate.


Nichole Pinkard from New Learning Institute on Vimeo.

As a DYN mentor, Brother Mike worked across media, from spoken word to radio to graphic design. Most notably he helped develop a multi-media arts class called “iRemix Records,” in which sixth-grade students analyzed and critiqued the music industry while learning how to create their own music. Brother Mike was the creator of such projects as Change Society, which engages students in media creation with a focus on civic engagement, and Lyricist Loft, which provides a pathway for students to showcase their work to a public audience.

"Music is a dream!"

"Music is in the first place of Art. Music brings us on an island with Peace, Beauty and Love"
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life is a 2014 Oscar®-winning documentary by Malcolm Clarke that tells the story of Alice Herz Sommer, 109 year old, the world's oldest pianist and Holocaust survivor. Living entirely alone in a tiny flat in central London Alice spent hours each day at her piano, practicing beloved Bach and Beethoven, for she was once a renowned and celebrated concert pianist performing to enthusiastic audiences throughout central Europe until the ‘lights went out all over Europe’ and the continent was plunged into years of misery and bitter conflict. During those years Alice suffered experiences that no human being should have to endure. In this film Alice discusses the importance of music, laughter and how to have an optimistic outlook on life. And it’s from music that Alice derives her supreme optimism. As she’s so fond of saying; “I have lived through many wars and have lost everything many times – including my husband, my mother and my beloved son. Yet, life is beautiful, and I have so much to learn and enjoy. I have no space nor time for pessimism and hate.” She died in London on 23 February 2014, aged 110.
Please take the time to watch,  extremely inspirational and uplifting.

The LRNG Innovation Challenge

Educator Innovator is a growing community of educators, partners and supporters focused around the Connected Learning principles. They believe that if we want to educate a generation of young people to be innovators — to create, build, design, and use their talents to improve their world — we need to value the creative capacity in the mentors and teachers who support them.
In partnership with LRNG, John Legend’s Show Me Campaign, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, in 2014 Educator Innovator invested in teams of teachers working to expand the time and space students have to create, explore, and follow their interests and passions. The LRNG Innovation Challenge has awarded grants to teams of educators working to solve the challenges of expanding time and space for creative learning in their own context, and willing to share their solutions and lessons learned with others.

Real-world Engagement

"We really think that part of what is wrong with the current educational system and why people talk about it is broken is that it is fundamentally starting with the wrong questions. The educational system often now starts with the question of outcomes. It starts with"what do we want kids to learn? What are the goals? What is the material they need to cover? And then everything is defined by that. It does not almost matter who the kid is so long as we are going on pace through the material and content, reaching the educational standards of those outcomes, because that is our starting point. Our core question is "What the experience we want kids to have?" So the core question is around engagement. And as soon as you start with "Is the kid engaged? What is the learning experience we want the kid to have?" then you have to pay attention to the kid".
- Connie Yowell, director of education for the MacArthur Foundation
-- Watch "Rethinking Learning: The 21st Century Learner"
-- Watch "Aligning 21st Century Learning with 21st Century Learner"
-- Watch "Connected Learning: Everyone, Everywhere, Anytime"
-- Go to the Educator Innovator BLOG

Breaking the cycle of poverty

John Legend wrote the song “Show Me” asking simple, honest questions about life, why there is so much suffering in the world, and what each of us can do about it. In the United States more than 16 million children – one in five – live in poverty. Globally there are more than 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty, struggling to survive on $1.25/day or less. The Show Me Campaign takes its inspiration from the song and was launched to create lasting change on these issues. It works to break the cycle of poverty by supporting programs that help to provide every child with a quality education, spreading awareness about the issues, and inspiring citizens to take action.

Jack Stamp - Why Music Matters

"..You see, music demands perfection. Now we don’t always get there, in fact, we seldom get there. But it’s the one of the few things in their [the students’] lives that demands that they be perfect....This is so important, ladies and gentleman. And you can’t let someone who doesn’t know about music take music out of our schools"
Jack Stamp is Professor of Music, Chairperson of the Music Department and Director of Band Studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he conducts the Wind Ensemble and teaches courses in graduate conducting. Here he gives a great example of exactly why music education is so important and belongs in our schools.
- Transcripts here

Music teacher brings excitement to classroom

Teachers can make a difference.
(Kevin Cooney reports KCCI NewsChannel 8)

Teaching Music in the 21st Century

"In music is everything from the movements of the heavens to the chirping of crickets, the ringing of church bells and of cell phones, the splashing of water and the howling at the moon, the whispers of new lovers, and cacophonous clatter of embattled couples and the lonely cry of the broken hearted."
Wynton Marsalis' keynote address at the 2012 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago: "Teaching Music in the 21st Century", a message to all music teachers/band directors.
"Know that everything you do makes a difference. It’s all very personal and important, and it lasts. It’s much deeper than notes... much, much deeper."
Wynton Marsalis is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader, educator and a leading advocate of American culture. He is the world’s first jazz artist to perform and compose across the full jazz spectrum from its New Orleans roots to bebop to modern jazz.
- WATCH entire presentation here or READ content here
- Marsalis on Music Education
- Visit Jazz at Lincoln Center's Jazz Academy

Digital Media- New Learners of the 21st Century

Digital media is increasingly present in kids' formal and informal educational settings, becoming as common as pencils and notebooks were to their parents. Yet in many American classrooms and homes, these high-tech tools are severely limited or forbidden. Teachers and parents wonder: What are students doing with these technologies?
Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century addresses this vital question, taking viewers to the frontlines of what is rapidly becoming an education revolution. The film, targeted at parents, teachers, and anyone concerned about education in America, explores how exceptional educators are increasingly using digital media and interactive practices to ignite their students' curiosity and ingenuity, help them become civically engaged, allow them to collaborate with peers worldwide, and empower them to direct their own learning.

The Schools We Need

“We’ve got to build caring institutions. We teach kids, not subjects.”
Chris Lehmann is the founding principal of the Science Leadership Academy, an inquiry-driven, project-based modern high school in Philadelphia. The school is the first Dell Center of Excellence, was named one of the Ten Most Amazing Schools by Ladies Home Journal, was featured in the PBS documentary Digital Media: New Learners for the 21st Century, and has been written about in publications including Edutopia Magazine, EdWeek and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
-- condensed version HERE
-- watch his TED talk "Education is broken"
-- read interview on "Ditch that textbook" by Matt Miller

The Importance of Music

"Music is what holds the world together. This world, the next world, and the previous world, and we have all of that running in our pulse, running in our blood. That’s what music awakens, quickens, brings back to life – brings all of us to life."
Peter Sellars is an American theatre director, noted for his unique contemporary stagings of classical and contemporary operas and plays. Sellars is professor of World Arts and Cultures at UCLA, where he teaches Art as Social Action and Art as Moral Action. As Polar Music Prize Laureate he speaks about the importance of music in his acceptance speech. Very inspirational.

Music Remains

"What's the one thing that never gets old? Listen how the story unfolds, Yo."
A 90-second, race through time filmed at London's world-famous Abbey Road studios, Music Remains is a 'Recorded Music Rube Goldberg Machine' that shows music at the heart of the story of one family. "Look at you, you're still beaming / No CDs but you're still streaming / Years have passed, and nothing's the same but / You're the one thing that always remains / Music".
-- go to Music Remains website

Support Education?

Access to education is not a privilege, it's a right.
This year, for the first time in history the end of extreme poverty is within our reach. World leaders are working together to set huge goals to make the world a better place. These development goals are a to-do list for the world for the next 15 years. This roadmap could send humanity forward, or simply cement the status quo.
-- visit Global Citizens
-- view 20 awesome journeys to school that will make yours look boring...

Accent on Access

Accent on Access is a free after-school violin program, now in its fourth year at Edison Bethune Charter Academy in downtown Fresno. Their 60 young violinists work with them four days a week, 90 minutes a day. Another great program heavily inspired by Venezuela's exceptionally successful El Sistema music training program.

Why Arts Education Matters

"Art shows what is to be human"
Circuit is a four-year UK national programme launched in April 2013 connecting 15-25 year olds to the arts in galleries and museums working in partnership with the youth and cultural sector. Led by Tate and funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, it provides opportunities for young people to steer their own learning and create cultural activity across art disciplines.
In the video clip below Tate director Nicholas Serota and artist Jeremy Deller took the opportunity to discuss why arts education matters, and the threat to arts subjects in secondary schools under the government’s proposed Ebacc certificates, which will replace GCSEs -- read more about it here
-- watch introductory video about "Circuit" here

Why Music Matters - The Beatles

Originating in the UK in 2010, the Music Matters campaign is a collective of people across the music community, including artists, songwriters, labels, managers, publishers and music stores, formed to remind listeners of the value and significance of music. Music Matters has allowed the music to speak for itself through a series of short animated films about inspirational artists who have dedicated their lives to music and contributed to our cultural landscape.
In 2011, the Beatles added their voice to the campaign, joining Kate Bush, Elbow, JLS, Paloma Faith, Sigur Ros and many others in telling us why they love music and what it means to them.
This short animation by Lee Gingold and friends shows how The Beatles have inspired thousands of artists. More than 50 years later, their music still has the power to unite millions of fans all over the world. The Beatles bring us together and show why Music Matters.

Schooling and Education

"I fear that even if we make good schools available to everybody, we would not have solved the problem." The reason? Education is more than schooling.
Dr. Edmund Gordon, Director of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, discusses the difference between schooling and education.
Dr. Edmund Gordon is one of the nation's foremost scholars on education and the Achievement Gap and has been a strong proponent of "supplementary education," the kind of education that a child receives outside of school, as the necessary link in bridging the Achievement Gap.
-- More videos by the Kettering Foundation here



Can Schools Alone Close the Achievement Gap?

Success Starts with Teachers

On any given day, teachers make thousands of decisions, facilitate at least a dozen different lessons and connect with students on various levels. Often times, the most successful schools have the right supports in place to help its teachers continue to learn and grow so that they can ensure students do the same. For teachers in high-poverty schools however, there are growing pressures and a unique set of daily challenges that make the task of teaching become more than simply classroom learning. With input from administrators and teachers, this film tries to answer some big questions such as: What's the value of a great teacher? What does the field of teaching look like today? How are schools equipping teachers to teach under-resourced learners? How are they prepared to understand diverse student needs?
This film was produced as part of a series of documentaries by "Nebraska loves public schools", a campaign dedicated to tackling the issues that face students and public schools in Nebraska and around the country. Although specific to Nebraska, we believe as they do that these films serve as a resource to educate and to inspire action.
-- watch full movie here

The World Becomes What You Teach

"We need a bigger vision for the purpose of schooling and I believe that it should be this: that we provide every student with the knowledge, the tools and the motivation to be conscientious choice makers and engaged change makers for a restored, healthy and humane world for all...or another way of putting it: I believe that we need to graduate a generation od solutionaries"
Zoe Weil is the co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education and is considered a pioneer in the comprehensive humane education movement, which provides people with the knowledge, tools, and motivation to be conscientious choicemakers and engaged changemakers for a better world. Zoe created the first Master of Education and Certificate Program in Humane Education in the U.S. covering the interconnected issues of human rights, environmental preservation, and animal protection. Brilliant talk, must watch.
-- watch Zoe's 2012 TED talk - Solutionaries

We Teach Life, Sir

Gaza may be a warzone, but everyday life for its inhabitants has to continue. For some of those growing up in the violence, playing music has become an important source of relief. RTD (global news channel broadcasting from Moscow and Washington studios) has gone to Gaza City to follow music school students as they prepare for an end of year performance. Their experiences of war unite them as much as their love of music. They have survived the destruction, endured the horror of shelling and seen people die at first hand. Some have even come close to death themselves. Powerless in the face of such violence, they remain hopeful that peace will eventually come. Until then, they seek comfort in music. 
Heartbreaking and uplifting.
-- watch FULL DOCUMENTARY here

Teachers Are Like Gardeners

"Nobody else can make anybody else learn anything. You cannot make them. Anymore than if you are a gardener you can make flowers grow, you don’t make the flowers grow. You don’t sit there and stick the petals on and put the leaves on and paint it. You don’t so that. The flower grows itself. Your job if you are any good at it is to provide the optimum conditions for it to do that, to allow it to grow itself." -- Sir Ken Robinson
The quality of education can never exceed the quality of teachers.

TRUE COLORS

In a heart-melting moment, TED Talks Education host John Legend sits at the piano to sing "True Colors," giving the lyrics a special meaning for kids and teachers. "So don't be afraid / to let them show / your true colors / are beautiful, like a rainbow."



Singer and songwriter John Legend works to break the cycle of poverty through the Show Me Campaign, dedicated to education for all. In particular this campaign aims at supporting programs that help to provide every child with a quality education, spreading awareness about the issues, and inspiring citizens to take action.

Great teaching matters

Watch these wonderful videos and get inspired!
-- by TEACH | TakePart

TEACH

We all have had a teacher who's shaped us, inspired us, even scared us, and whom we can credit with having empowered us to become who we are today. "TEACH" is a 2013 documentary by Davis Guggenheim that looks at education in America  and asks the question: what does it take to be a teacher? Offering a rare glimpse inside four public school classrooms, Guggenheim invites us to follow the struggles and triumphs of America's education system through the eyes, minds and hearts of its most essential resource: teachers.
-- go to TEACH Facebook page
-- read "The Director of ‘TEACH’ Takes Us Into the Heart of His Documentary" on TakePart

Thank a Teacher

"I learnt that you can approach knowledge with a sense of wonder and fun" - Juliette Lewis
Great teachers shape who we are today.
-- go to TEACH | TakePart

Music for social innovation

Stanford Thompson speaks about the importance of after school programs and how music serves as a vehicle for social change. Stanford is a musician and educator who is passionate about using music for social action and serves as the Founder and Artistic Director for another El Sistema-inspired program, Play On, Philly! and the Chairman of El Sistema USA. He also serves on the boards of the Interlochen Center for the Arts, the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Composers Forum, and as Chairman of The Curtis Institute of Music Alumni Council. He regularly contributes to the communities of TED, League of American Orchestras, and El Sistema-inspired initiatives around the world. For El Sistema inspired programs he has implemented, Stanford has secured over $4 million in funding which has impacted the lives of hundreds of children in Philadelphia. This is great.

The dangers of standardized testing

"The assessment itself is completely artificial....It’s not ranking teachers in accordance with their ability to help develop children who will reach their potential . . . It’s turning us into individuals who devote our lives to achieving a rank."
"Education is developing your own potential and creativity"
Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, logician, political commentator and anarcho-syndicalist activist. Sometimes described as the "father of modern linguistics", he is also a major figure in analytic philosophy. He has spent most of his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he is currently Professor Emeritus, and has authored over 100 books. He has been described as a prominent cultural figure, and was voted the "world's top public intellectual" in a 2005 poll.
MUST WATCH.

What standardized tests don't measure

"Many politicians and policy makers and any adult has said "we want our students to be the leaders of tomorrow" but how about making them the present leaders, the leaders of today? And the only way you are going to do that is by investing in the present. And if you are to invest into the present you can rest assured that the future will take care of itself"
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Alarmingly, 44% of American students in grades 6-12 do not feel a sense of self-worth at school. Philadelphia high school junior Nikki Adeli knows firsthand the challenges that young people face navigating standardized tests. Through the story of her own real-world educational experiences beginning in Mississippi by way of Iran, Nikki reminds us all that the value and purpose of schools is to grow a citizen not produce a good test-taker. As a Youth Commissioner to Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Nikki represents the city’s youth in public hearing and gives testimony that reflects the youth perspective. She works with the City, non-profits, community organizations and private entities to develop strategies to improve educational opportunities for Philadelphia’s youth.
Great talk.

The War on Kids

Blame for problems with schooling in America is often assigned to insufficient funding or the inherent failings of today’s kids. In rare cases, parents, teachers, and administrators are also implicated. However, all efforts to improve the quality of education are doomed to fail if the system itself is not examined and understood to be the most significant impediment. After over six years in the making, THE WAR ON KIDS reveals that the problems with public education ultimately stem from the institution itself....
You/we may not agree on all but something to think about...
-- watch full documentary on youtube
-- read review by Jonathan Kim and watch his interview on the Young Turks here

I may not...

Saint James Music Academy is the story of one person’s determination to give children a better chance in life. When cuts to public school funding during the last economic recession meant that Vancouver’s inner-city children had limited or no access to quality music education, long-time Downtown Eastside area resident Kathryn Walker decided to do something about it. She began a two-year process of building alliances and support in the community for a music academy that would not only teach music but use music as a means of reversing the negative social forces that neighbourhood children commonly face. SJMA opened its doors in September, 2007 with 45 enrollments and a budget of $37,000. Since then, the Academy has grown rapidly each year, touching the lives of many hundreds of children. Today there are 180 children in the core after-school programs and another 250 children in outreach programs. SJMA believes in social transformation through the power and love of music and is also Canada’s first ever El Sistema inspired program.
Watch this great promo clip meant to promote what music is really about - encouraging students to be amazing people in their families and communities.

Educating for the Unknown

David Perkins is a founding member of Harvard Project Zero, a basic research project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education investigating human symbolic capacities and their development. Perkins conducts research on creativity in the arts and sciences, informal reasoning, problem solving, understanding, individual and organizational learning, and the teaching of thinking skills.

Why Thinking matters in schools

"If we aren't thinking we aren't learning"

Ron Ritchhart, researcher at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education, shares his thoughts on the importance of creating a culture of thinking in classrooms and schools. Ron's research focuses on understanding how to develop, nurture, and sustain thoughtful learning environments for both students and teachers.
-- visit Stories of Learning website

Engaging Students in Conversations That Matter

"There will be times when I won't have the answers and that's ok. What matters is me staying present in the moment to help them form their questions and draw those deep connections"
Believing that "being an inspiration to children is the most progressive political act of all," Jenelle Peterson has taught in classrooms as diverse as Compton and Maui. She attended the New School for Social Research in New York City, receiving both a masters of science in teaching and a certification in secondary education. Janelle currently teaches fourth-grade social studies at Maui Preparatory Academy. Great talk.
-- read about See-Think- Wonder by Harvard Project Zero
-- go to Visible Thinking website

Music heals and connects

Roberto Granados is a home-schooled thirteen-year-old classical, flamenco, rock, blues guitarist, arranger, composer and ukulele virtuoso from Hayward, California. He began studying classical guitar at the age of six with Gyorgy Vass, and flamenco guitar at eight with renowned flamenco guitarist Jason McGuire. He has since also studied with distinguished guitarists Sergio Assad and Marc Teicholz at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Roberto has performed everywhere from on the streets to the Emmy's and also in the presence of President Obama. Beautiful little human being, very nice listening to him play and talk.




Roberto Granados: Music Heals and Connects... from TEDxSanJoseCA on Vimeo.

It Don’t Mean A Thing If You Ain’t Got That Swing

We talked about them when we started this blog...let's see what they are up to.
A Film About Kids and Music is a project arising from a music class. Conducted by Joan Chamorro, a professional musician and teacher with over 20 years of experience, Sant Andreu Jazz Band brings together children between 6 and 18 years old, around a classic jazz repertoire with lots of swing, which gained the public and sold-out some of the most important music auditoriums in Spain.
-- follow them on youtube

Real Life. My Music

“Live for yourself and you will live in vain; Live for others, and you will live again.”
― Bob Marley
Founded in 2009, Real Life. My Music. aims at creating a safer and healthier Detroit for school children by providing them access to quality afterschool programming that emphasizes structured training in fine arts; specifically music and dance. By offering students an artistic outlet in which to express themselves and by supporting their interest in pursuing fine arts programs if they choose to do so, it is their belief that they will not only learn an art form, but also develop positive characteristics and skills that are proven to be correlated with the improvement of academic and personal outcomes.
GIVING is LIVING.

People Loving People

"You can pawn it off on kings and queens and those behind the curtain
Say what can make a difference in a world so full of hurting
But I believe the remedy starts right here with you and me
People loving people
That's the enemy of everything's that's evil"
"People Loving People" by Garth Brooks performed by PS22 Choir.
-- read on USA today

Music changes lives

Filmed over the course of a school year, Music Changes Lives follows the progress of two Dublin schools - St. Agnes's in Crumlin, and St. Ultan's in Cherry Orchard, both of which have taken inspiration from the Venezuelan project El Sistema and are providing compulsory music tuition for all children in the schools. The results are astounding. Music Changes Lives is a groundbreaking four part observational documentary series about the power of music as an 'intervention' tool for positive change, extraordinary personal stories show how the simple act of learning to play an instrument can give children, who have no other real chance in life, a fresh start and a brighter future.

Let the Children Play

"Physical poverty is overcome by the spiritual richness that music provides."—José Antonio Abreu 
During "Discovery Day: El Sistema" on December 8, 2012 Carnegie Hall explores Venezuela's spectacularly successful El Sistema educational program and its influence on educational thinking in the United States. El Sistema—Venezuela's national system of youth orchestras—is a state-funded organization that was created in 1975 by Venezuelan maestro José Antonio Abreu. The goal of El Sistema is to systemize music education, and promote the collective practice of music through symphony orchestras and choruses as a means of social organization and community development. El Sistema has become the most comprehensive social-responsibility program ever developed in Venezuela and has made an unparalleled impact worldwide.
-- Watch "Dudamel: Let the children play" - Official Trailer

Follow the Leader

"That’s not that much more I need to say, just that you’ll be red tomorrow and let me be green today. And we can change the world either way as long as we’re unafraid to make mistakes and keen to play. And then you can see as long as we stop looking for others to lead the way that creating a better world it’s a piece of cake. We don’t need leaders we need ideas".
Suli Breaks is one the UK's leading spoken word poets who captivates audiences and peers alike with his phenomenal wordplay. This piece was especially created for TEDxHousesofParliament 2014 to close the show.
-- read transcripts

Connected Learning

Connected Learning is an educational approach designed for our ever-changing world. It makes learning relevant to all populations, to real life and real work, and to the realities of the digital age, where the demand for learning never stops. Filmmaker Nic Askew has been commissioned to make a series of films about connected learning, an approach to learning designed for our times. In this six-part short film series he speaks to that need for a connected learning vision: learning that is powerful, relevant, and engaging.
-- watch whole film series HERE (scroll down page)


Connected Learning: Interest, Peer Culture, Academics from Connected Learning Alliance on Vimeo.


Connected Learning: Playing, Creating, Making from Connected Learning Alliance on Vimeo.

Connected Learning, Children, and Digital Media

Mizuko Ito is a cultural anthropologist of technology use, examining children and youth’s changing relationships to media and communications and is Professor in Residence and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Chair in Digital Media and Learning at the University of California, Irvine, with appointments in the University of California Humanities Research Institute, the Department of Anthropology, and the Department of Informatics.
-- Mimi Ito's blog

Project Zero and more

Project Zero is an educational research group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education composed of multiple, independently-sponsored research projects. Since 1967, Project Zero has examined the development of learning processes in children, adults, and organizations. Today, Project Zero’s work includes investigations into the nature of intelligence, understanding, thinking, creativity, ethics, and other essential aspects of human learning. Their mission is to understand and enhance high-level thinking and learning across disciplines and cultures and in a range of contexts, including schools, businesses, museums, and digital environments.
Howard Gardner is the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He also holds positions as Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and Senior Director of Harvard Project Zero.
-- PZ on youtube
-- Prof Howard Gardner on The Multiple Intelligence Theory
-- Visit MI Oasis (Official Authoritative Site of Multiple IntelligenceS)


whatIsPZ? from Sue Borchardt on Vimeo.

The Art Walk - St Georges

The Art Walk in St. Georges is a free event offering the opportunity to chat with local artists, explore the town of St. Georges and learn more about what the art scene has to offer on the island. The main idea is to promote Bermuda art in all its forms, providing an avenue for local artists to showcase their talent.
--- February 27, 2015 @ 5:00 pm (go to Facebook event page)
Please also join artist Dani Pen in a Public Art Intervention piece in support of Arts Education
Look at the amazing LINEUP of artists participating and supporting the event!!!

Great footage below by Lara D. Smith, Founder/ Creative Director of LDS Multimedia: A Bermuda based video production company.


November Art Walk In the East from Lara D. Smith on Vimeo.



Summer Art Walk 2013 from Lara D. Smith on Vimeo.



Art Walk, 2012 from Lara D. Smith on Vimeo.

Equal opportunities for all

"System excellence in education requires that the entire society performs harmoniously"

More on the Finland model of education - everybody should watch.
Providing equal opportunities for all citizens to high-quality education and training is a long-term objective of the Finnish education policy. The key words in Finnish education policy are quality, efficiency, equity and internationalisation. The basic right to education and culture is recorded in the Constitution. The policy is built on the principles of lifelong learning and free education. Education is seen as a key to competitiveness and wellbeing of the society (Education policy - Finnish National Board of Education).
-- read "Why Are Finland's Schools Successful?"
-- read "What we can learn from Finland’s successful school reform"
-- read "Happy Teaching, Happy Learning"
-- read "What the best education systems are doing right"



Pasi Sahlberg is Finnish educator, author and scholar. He has worked as schoolteacher, teacher educator, researcher and policy advisor in Finland and has studied education systems and reforms around the world. His book “Finnish Lessons: What can the world learn from educational change in Finland?” (2011) won the 2013 Grawemeyer Award and he received the 2012 Education Award in Finland and 2014 Robert Owen Award in Scotland.

This Will Revolutionize Education...

Many technologies have promised to revolutionize education, but so far none has. With that in mind, what could revolutionize education? Will video revolutionize education? Are teachers obsolete?
Something to think about...

Independent Thinking Comes Through Discovery

"It doesn't matter what we cover, it matter what you discover"
Interesting interview with Professor Noam Chomsky on the importance of interaction and participation in the classroom, the urgent need to address funding, the role of modern technology to improve access to education and what more needs to be done to build the future of education.

New ideas in higher education - Ecole 42

42 is a private French computer programming school created and funded by Xavier Niel (Founder of Illiad) with several partners including Nicolas Sadirac (previous General Director of Epitech), Kwame Yamgnane and Florian Bucher (previous executives of Epitech). The training is inspired by new modern ways to teach which include; peer-to-peer pedagogy. Students will not receive any official engineer's degree. The school is known to bet on advanced knowledge and skill in computer programming and novel ways of thinking. 42’s name is a reference to the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy created by Douglas Adams: 42 is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything (from wikipedia)
-- read on VB News
-- read on bonjourlafrenchtech

Future Learning

We posted this already - please watch if you have not done it yet.
Students are the future, but what's the future for students? To arm them with the relevant, timeless skills for our rapidly changing world, we need to revolutionize what it means to learn. Education innovators like Dr. Sugata Mitra, visiting professor at MIT; Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy; and Dr. Catherine Lucey, Vice Dean of Education at UCSF, are redefining how we engage young minds for a creatively and technologically-advanced future. Which of these eduvators holds the key for unlocking the learning potential inside every student?

Bringing Innovation into the Classroom

In Warren High School in Chicago, teachers are flipping their classrooms and both students and parents acknowledge that the outcomes are very positive. Flipping the classroom means that students watch lessons at home through online platforms which enable them to learn at their own pace, and arrive to school ready to apply the theory to practical work and share doubts with the teacher and peers. As one teacher says: “It allows students to become teachers and to be accountable for their own education - hoping, asking questions, leading the discussions”.
-- read more HERE



In the TED Talk below, Salman Khan (founder and faculty of the Khan Academy) demonstrates the power of interactive exercises and calls for teachers to consider flipping the traditional classroom script.



Aaron Sams is a Flipped Learning Pioneer. See below how students watch podcasts of their teacher's lectures on their own time and then spend their time in the classroom applying what they learned at home.

New teaching methods

When a report emerged in September 2012 that a girl from one of Matamoros’ poorest neighborhoods had attained the highest math score in Mexico, some doubted its veracity...But it wasn’t fake. Her name is Paloma Noyola, and what most reports failed to mention is that almost all of her classmates also scored very high on the national math test. 10 scored in the 99.99% percentile...
[Read all HERE]
The high test scores turned out to be the work of a young teacher who also came from humble beginnings. Sergio Juárez Correa was tired of the monotony of teaching out of a book and wanted to try something new to help engage his students when he came across the work of Sugata Mitra, a UK university professor who had innovated a new pedagogy he called SOLE, or self organized learning environments. So he took on the brave fight against school dropout rates in an impoverished public school in Mexico and revolutionized teaching methods, leading an entire class to success.
-- How to Get Involved in the Teaching Movement That Could Transform Education
-- How a Radical New Teaching Method Could Unleash a Generation of Geniuses
-- Watch Sugata Mitra's "The child-driven education"
-- Watch Sugata Mitra's "New experiments in self-teaching"
-- Watch Sugata Mitra's "Build a School in the Cloud"

Do Schools Ignore Talents?

Sir Ken Robinson's conferences at TED have more than 25 million of views and he is considered one of today's most prominent voices in the world of education. Learning World is a series of weekly TV programs on education developed in the framework of a partnership between WISE and Euronews. Learning World producer, Aurora Vélez, met Sir Ken Robinson in Paris to talk about talent, innovation and educational challenges as part of Learning World on "XXI Century Education".

The arts develop our humanity

Dr. Anton Armstrong, is the Director of the St. Olaf Choir and worked with several Utah choirs in April of 2014 during a week long residency in the state. In this interview Dr. Armstrong shares the importance of music education and why organizations like Legacy Music Alliance are invaluable to communities.

Finding inspiration

"There is a symbiotic and intrinsic link between storytelling and community, between community and art, between community and science and technology, between community and economics. It's my belief that an abstract economic theory that denies the needs of a community or denies the contributions that communities make to economy is short-sighted, cruel and untenable. The fact is whether you are a rockstar, or a welder in the shipyard, or a tribesman in the upper Amazon, or the Queen of England, we are all in the same boat".

Sting's early life was dominated by a shipyard—and he dreamed of nothing more than escaping the industrial drudgery. But after a nasty bout of writer's block that stretched on for years, Sting found himself channeling the stories of the shipyard workers he knew in his youth for song material. In a lyrical, confessional talk, Sting treats us to songs from his latest musical, and to an encore of "Message in a Bottle." A bit out of topic...but worth listening to. Great songwriter, great speaker.

It is not only about the Arts...

Launched in 2013, Code.org® is a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color. Their vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science. They believe computer science and computer programming should be part of the core curriculum in education, alongside other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, such as biology, physics, chemistry and algebra.
-- Watch "Code Stars"
-- Code.org's work covered by CBS
-- President Obama does the Hour of Code
-- Hour of Code has won the support of many celebrities
-- Watch "Let's teach kids to code" - 2012 TED talk by Prof. Mitch Resnick of MIT Media Lab

The Space Between Seeing and Really Seeing

Flutist Jessica Sherer has earned a reputation for taking on many unique and varied musical projects. As an orchestral musician, Jessica began her career performing with the New World Symphony at age nineteen and has since performed with numerous orchestras across the US including the Portland Columbia Symphony, the Orlando Philharmonic, the Boston Civic Orchestra, Sarah McLachlan’s touring orchestra, and toured with the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players. Currently she is principal flutist with Sinfonia Gulf Coast, piccoloist with the Albany Symphony, second flutist with the LaGrange Symphony, and performs regularly with the Spartanburg Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestra Augusta (read more here). In addition to maintaining a large and selective private studio, Jessica serves as the Flute Teaching Artist for the Atlanta Music Project, an "el sistema" organization dedicated to achieving social change through music. This is a presentation she gave at the 2012 TEDx Centennial Park Women conference on the topic of social change through music.
Very interesting - how learning music develops 4 essential qualities that will help kids succeed, independently of their social background: grit, discipline, ambition and curiosity.

Atlanta Music Project

Founded in 2010, the Atlanta Music Project provides intense music education for underserved youth right in their neighborhood. Another program inspired by Venezuela’s El Sistema, AMP believes the pursuit of musical excellence leads to the development of confidence, creativity and ambition, thus sparking positive social change in the individuals and the communities they serve.
-- AMP featured on CNN
-- AMP featured on Myfoxatlanta
-- inspiration for AMP: El Sistema





In 2012 the Atlanta Music Project students got a chance to perform "Another Brick In The Wall" with Rogers Waters at Philips Arena in Atlanta.

Everyone has the right to education

‘Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory.’
(Article 26, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948)
- visit The Global Campaign for Education (GCE)

Education For All - 2015 goals

Six internationally agreed education goals aim to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015.
Goal 1 -- Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

Goal 2 -- Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to, and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality. 

Goal 3 -- Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life-skills programmes.
Goal 4 -- Achieving a 50 per cent improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for women, and equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults.
Goal 5 -- Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by 2015, with a focus on ensuring girls’ full and equal access to and achievement in basic education of good quality.
Goal 6 -- Improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

- Enrolment in primary education in developing regions reached 90 per cent in 2010, up from 82 per cent in 1999, which means more kids than ever are attending primary school.
- In 2012, 58 million children of primary school age were out of school.
- Even as countries with the toughest challenges have made large strides, progress on primary school enrolment has slowed. One in ten children of primary school age was still out of school in 2012.
- Gender gaps in youth literacy rates are also narrowing. Globally, 781 million adults and 126 million youth (aged 15 to 24) worldwide lack basic reading and writing skills, and more than 60 per cent of them are women (read here)

Special Holiday Greetings

Harnessing the Power of the Arts to Motivate Children

Gretchen K. Williams is the Albuquerque Director of Development for the National Dance Institute of New Mexico. Before coming to New Mexico in 2005, Gretchen worked with Richmond Ballet in Virginia. During her tenure, she secured more than $9 million in contributions. Williams' devotion to the arts and dance began early in life. NDI New Mexico was founded with the knowledge that the arts have a unique power to engage and motivate children. The purpose of their distinctive programs is to help children develop discipline, a standard of excellence, and a belief in themselves that will carry over into all aspects of their lives.

Closing the Gap

What can be done to help students achieve success? NYU professor Pedro Noguera discusses education's most pressing problems. Dr. Noguera appears as a regular commentator on educational issues on CNN, National Public Radio, and other national news outlets. From 2009 - 2012 he served as a Trustee for the State University of New York (SUNY) as an appointee of the Governor.
This relates specifically to the United States, but Noguera's reflections can be globally relevant.
Very interesting. 

Education for everyone

Salman Khan is a Bangladeshi-American educator, entrepreneur, and former hedge fund analyst. He is the founder of the Khan Academy, a free online education platform and nonprofit organization. From a small office in his home, Khan has produced more than 4,800 video lessons teaching a wide spectrum of academic subjects, mainly focusing on mathematics and sciences. As of September 24, 2014, the Khan Academy channel on YouTube attracted 2,201,162 subscribers and the Khan Academy videos had been viewed nearly 492 million times.
-- READ "Khan Academy founder has two big ideas for overhauling higher education in the sciences" on VB News
-- WATCH Education for everyone: An interview with Sal Khan
-- READ "How Khan Academy Is Changing the Rules of Education"
-- READ "V.F. Portrait: Salman Khan"
-- WATCH Let's use video to reinvent education (2011 TED talk)

Netflix’s Reed Hastings and Khan Academy's Salman Khan on the Future of Education

Why Do We Remember Old Pop Songs But Forget Where Our Keys Are?

Daniel Levitin of McGill University looks at why music has a special power over our minds. Part 2 of Unlocking the Secrets and Powers of the Brain, sponsored by the NSF, The Franklin Institute, and DISCOVER magazine.

The Music Instinct

The Music Instinct: Science and Song explores ground-breaking science revealing the power of music and its connection with the body, the brain and the world of nature. The film deals with research, showing music can heal as well as its potential for education.

Creativity Matters

“If we connect to the world around us, it won’t just be a life of passion but a world of compassion, a world where we look out for each other, where we create conditions where we can all flourish, a world indeed where we all want to live. There is no guarantee of all of these things but if we believe more in ourselves and in the power of the people around us there is every chance we will create the future and a world we’d like to be part of."
World Merit is a global platform for talented and collaborative youth, which strives to connect talent with opportunity. With a mix of humor and sincerity Sir Ken Robinson puts into perspective the worlds current population and possible problems. He also highlights the importance of finding our own talent because only then we can be truly good at something.

Creative thinking - how to get out of the box

"If the environment punishes mistakes, you will never be tempted to go out of the box."
Giovanna Corazza is a full-time professor at the Alma Mater Studiorum at the University of Bologna, a member of the Executive Council, and the founder of the Marconi Institute of Creativity. He teaches science and the applications of creative thinking. Why/Which/How/Where/What/When/Experiment­. A quick jump out of the box is more insightful than a lifetime of standard thinking.
Interesting talk.

Such a great school choir

The PS22 Chorus is an elementary school chorus from Public School 22 in Graniteville, Staten Island (New York). It is composed of 60-70 fifth-graders, and is directed by Gregg Breinberg.
-- watch intro video

Teaching art or teaching to think like an artist?

What is the purpose and value of Art education in the 21st Century? Cindy Foley makes the case the Art’s critical value is to develop learners that think like Artists which means learners who are creative, curious, that seek questions, develop ideas, and play. For that to happen society will need to stop the pervasive, problematic and cliché messaging that implies that creativity is somehow defined as artistic skill. This shift in perception will give educators the courage to teach for creativity, by focusing on three critical habits that artist employ, 1. Comfort with Ambiguity, 2. Idea Generation, and 3. Transdisciplinary Research. This change can make way for Center’s for Creativity in our schools and museums where ideas are king and curiosity reigns.
Cindy Meyers Foley is the Executive Assistant Director and Director of Learning and Experience at the Columbus Museum of Art. Foley worked to reimagine the CMA as a 21st century institution that is transformative, active, and participatory. An institution that impacts the health and growth of the community by cultivating, celebrating and championing creativity.
Interesting presentation.

What difference does it make?

In celebration of its 15th anniversary, Red Bull Music Academy has teamed up with award-winning director Ralf Schmerberg to create a full-length feature film. What Difference Does It Make? A Film About Making Music includes Brian Eno, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Giorgio Moroder, Nile Rodgers, Richie Hawtin, James Murphy and many more talking about the ups and downs of a life devoted to music. Shot at the 2013 Red Bull Music Academy in New York and produced by Schmerberg’s Berlin-based artist collective Mindpirates, the film focuses in on the creative process – but ends up asking questions about life itself. Following the young artists attending the Academy as well as featuring talking head interviews with musicians who have seen the twists and turns of the music industry, What Difference Does It Make? A Film About Making Music is full of (direct and indirect) insights. The overlying message of the film seems to be that it's the process of creation that really matters, more so than the actual music itself.
-- Watch full movie here