The mariachi workshop drew music educators from all over the United States.
In late June, The National Center for Music Education in Reston, Virginia, was the site of the workshop “Starting a Mariachi Band in Your School.” Sponsored by Yamaha for the second year, the workshop featured first-and second-level classes for music educators. At the end of the week, participants performed a lively concert for MENC staff.
The National Center for Music Education in Reston, VA, where MENC is headquartered, hosted a number of events over the summer. These included a drumming workshop, a Teaching Guitar workshop and a Yamaha Music in Education (MIE) Workshop.
The Teaching Guitar Workshop included elementary and secondary level music educators.
More than 50 music educators attended the Yamaha MIE workshop in July. The MIE workshop was aimed at teaching music educators how to implement a “technology-empowered music education classroom that enables the music teacher to provide a comprehensive music education.”
Some of the music educators in attendance already were using an MIE system in the classroom and wanted instruction on using it more effectively, while others planned to launch a system in the fall. They experimented with the remote controls, keyboards and software, learning how to teach the concept of a steady beat or how to set up a grading system.
The Yamaha MIE class offered three days of hands-on instruction.
Music teacher Janis Bice, who teaches at Westside Elementary School in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, said the electronic keyboard system engages students on many levels in actively creating and playing music. “I am looking forward to learning more about the system so I can share that with my students. It is an exciting classroom tool,” she said.
Additional information on holding events at The National Center for Music Education
Learn more about applying for the Teaching Guitar Workshops
2008 Teaching Guitar Workshops
—Roz Fehr, August 7, 2009. © MENC: The National Association for Music Education
