Indiana Coalition for Public Education—Monroe County                                    October 19, 2016
Contact: Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer, Chair                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Cell Phone: 812-320-4400
Email: tojanama.cathy@gmail.com
 
 
 
INDIANA COALITION FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION TO HOST A FORUM ON THE VALUE OF MUSIC EDUCATION
 
Bloomington, Indiana – Cuts to public education funding, combined with the use of test scores to determine school success, have taken a toll on school districts’ efforts to provide a broad and varied curriculum to all students. Music is often considered a “special” to be provided as time and money allow, but we gain if we understand it as an essential aspect of the curriculum. Professionals in education will address the vital role that music plays in children’s learning, and what we can do to ensure that all students have early and ongoing access to high-quality musical experiences in school, in an upcoming forum, “Beyond the Test Score: The Value of Music Education in School,” Wednesday, October 26, 6:30 to 8 p.m., in the Monroe County Public Library Auditorium.
 
With community support in the form of referendum funding, the Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC) has continued to provide a wealth of musical opportunity for its students, with certified music teachers in each elementary school and extracurricular musical opportunities for all ages. The world-renowned Indiana University Jacobs School of Music provides many resources to our schools, from volunteers to teacher training to special performances made available to student audiences during the school day.
 
Panelists include Kathy Heise, music teacher at Fairview Elementary; Jon Hansen, orchestra director for the Monroe County Community School Corporation; Bailey Hull, a former Bloomington High School North band student; Peter Miksza, associate professor of music education at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; Gwyn Richards, dean of the IU Jacobs School of Music; and Janis Stockhouse, director of the Bloomington High School North Band and Cougar Marching Band. ICPE-Monroe County chair Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer will co-moderate the panel with Eric Smedley, associate director of bands at the IU Jacobs School of Music.
 
Audience members will be invited to ask questions following the panel discussion.
 
This event is sponsored by the Indiana Coalition for Public Education—Monroe County. http://www.icpe-monroecounty.org/. 
 
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For further information, please contact Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer at 812-320-4400.