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Replicating the Approach
BRINGING THE PLAYERS TOGETHER Alumna Evalyn Edwards Milman (second from right) is enabling the right people to collaborate on stellar music programming at TC's local REACH partnership schools. With her are, from left, Lori Custodero, Associate Professor of Music & Music Education, Ayanda Dalamba, the inaugural Evalyn Edwards Milman Music Education Fellow; and Nancy Streim, TC's Associate Vice President for School & Community Partnerships
Over the past year, backed by the Morse family and Evalyn Edwards Milman, Teachers College has taken some small yet significant steps in expanding its music curriculum.
In Fall 2016, TC student Ayanda Dalamba, a former Toronto elementary school teacher who is the College’s first Milman Music Education Fellow, started a music program at P.S. 154 (the Harriet Tubman School) in West Harlem. Before she arrived, the school didn’t have music classes. Now, the students sing, dance and write lyrics about their parents, their cousins, their meals, their neighborhoods – whatever is happening to them on a given day.
“We offer the best thinking of TC faculty members on every front, from classroom teaching practices to development of a climate for social-emotional learning, to using resources from the city and beyond to enhance instruction in science, the arts and other fields.”
— Nancy Streim, Associate Vice President, School & Community Partnerships
“It’s great to connect our activities to what they know and make their musical experiences meaningful,” says Dalamba.
This past May, Teachers College also celebrated the successful conclusion of the pilot year of the Teachers College Teaching Artist Certificate program (TCTAC), created by TC Music & Music Education Associate Professor Lori Custodero with funding from the Morse family. Working with TC faculty across disciplines, 11 teaching artists from Young Audiences New York (YANY) strengthened their teaching practice, from planning a curriculum to tapping the wellsprings of students’ artistry.
Acknowledging the historical role played by skilled artists in communities and schools, the certificate program provides professional development for artists who want to expand their foundational knowledge of education. The program invites reflective thinking on teaching practices involving social and emotional development, cultural responsive pedagogy, assessing student engagement, designing activities for children with special needs and collaboration with institutional partners.
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Published Friday, Sep 8, 2017