On school holidays in both November and January, ETM teaching artists attended training sessions, where they received reinforcement of previously taught skills and learned new teaching techniques.
In November, training was held on Veteran’s Day at ETM partner school P.S. 155 in the Bronx. Topics covered included preparation for producing effective and fun Winter concerts, how to incorporate Orff methodologies into the classroom, as well as ideas for expressing basic music through movement and simple choreography. In general, the overarching theme of the training session was to build on the teaching artists’ knowledge of how to teach relevant and engaging lessons.
In January, another training session was held on Martin Luther King Day, this time at St. Brendan School, also in the Bronx. In tandem with the approximate half-way point of the school year, teaching artists were asked to share successes and challenges that they had faced in the classroom, and received notes from observations conducted by Director of Programs Stephen Herx, and Field Supervisor Chris Marolf. Workshops included a presentation by Karen Petty, an Orff music clinician, a workshop for string teachers, and a session focused around arranging music for Orff instruments.
