By Russ Sperling
District Director, Visual and Performing Arts
Mariachi teachers became students again, for a week in August.
All Sweetwater Mariachi teachers spent Aug. 16 - 20 learning from Marcia Neel, one of the nation's most dynamic music educators, and other guest instructors. In this hands-on training workshop, teachers were introduced to new instructional strategies to take back to their classes.
The video on this page shows the fun that these teachers had while playing and performing together during this exciting week.
It was a great opportunity for our teachers to step out of their role as instructors and step into the role of beginning students. In fact, each teacher was asked to learn the lessons while practicing on an instrument that they don't regularly play.
Here is what two of our teachers had to say about the experience:
Mark Fogelquist, Mariachi Teacher at the School of Creative and Performing Arts at Chula Vista Middle and High Schools
"It was the best thing that has happened to the Mariachi program here in the 10 years I have been here. We got to play instruments that we have never played before. We played instruments that are our primary instruments, we worked on music together and the spirit that developed among the teachers was more positive than it's ever been."
Wendy Charines, Mariachi Teacher at San Ysidro High School
"This has been my best professional development in the 9 years I have worked here. It is a week full of fun, we played our instruments but we also learned a lot about the strategies of being a teacher. "
For more information:
Sweetwater Union High School District VAPA Mariachi Page
http://www.suhsd.k12.ca.us/vapa/music/mariachi.html
Music Education Consultants (company that provided the training)
http://www.musicedconsultants.org/
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