Education Through Music (ETM) is thrilled to announce the addition of five partner schools in New York City, bringing the total number of ETM partner schools in New York to 23. Starting in Fall 2009, ETM's music programming will be implemented in P.S. 182, P.S. 169 and M.S. 180 in the Bronx, and P.S. 75 and St. James School in Manhattan. The addition of these five schools brings the total number of ETM partner schools to nine in Manhattan, 12 in the Bronx, and two in Brooklyn, which together serve over 11,000 at-risk students who would otherwise have limited or no exposure to the arts in school.
P.S. 182, P.S. 169, M.S. 180, P.S. 75 and St. James School together serve over 2,500 children in Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grades. Every child at these schools, including those in Special Education, will receive weekly music instruction from an ETM-trained teaching artist in general music and for 6th through 8th graders at M.S. 180, strings and music technology. ETM's newest partner schools embody the organization's mission to provide a standards-based, sequential music education that reinforces essential cognitive skills. Since its founding in 1991, ETM has worked to enhance children's academic performance and general development by promoting and providing the sustainable integration of music into the curricula of inner-city schools. By supporting students' learning in music, ETM strengthens their ability to learn in all areas.
ETM has achieved major improvements in many areas including: student attitudes towards the arts and school, student acquisition of music skills, teaching artists' effectiveness as educators, teachers' abilities to integrate using cognitive thinking skills, school and community support for the arts. This success is evidenced by an 82% increase in the percentage of students who met Math learning standards and a 54% increase in the percentage of students who met English Language Arts learning standards at schools that implemented ETM between 1999 and 2007.
Extensive research on the effects of music on children show that learning music through listening, performance, voice, and instrumental instruction increases children's reading, writing, mathematical, and spatial temporal reasoning skills. By providing extensive training and information sessions to teaching artists, teachers, school leadership, and parents, ETM works towards making arts and music programming sustainable within the school community. "We are thrilled to partner with five additional inner-city schools to help fulfill their vision of providing a skills-based music curriculum to every single student, regardless of talent or ability," stated Katherine Damkohler, Executive Director of Education Through Music. "As with every one of our partner schools, ETM will demonstrate the powerful role music education can play in education and life-long learning."
St. James School is located between the historic Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges in Manhattan and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2004. St. James School has always been a crossroads for multiple communities, and the school reflects the diversity of New York City. Students are enriched by the wealth of backgrounds of their classmates. The school serves 210 children in PreK through 8th grade. 88% of the student population are eligible for the Free or Reduced Price Lunch Program. The principal of the school is Anne Marie McGoldrick.
P.S. 182 in the Bronx serves 988 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade. 83% of the student population are eligible for the Free or Reduced Price Lunch Program. P.S. 182 believes that all children can learn and become productive citizens. The school is committed to building self-esteem and confidence, developing critical and creative thinking, stimulating curiosity and imagination and instilling a love of learning. High expectations are set for all students, and they are provided with opportunities for enrichment in the arts. The principal of the school is Anne O'Grady.
M.S. 180 in the Bronx serves 679 students in 6th through 8th grade. 64% of the student population are eligible for the Free or Reduced Price Lunch Program. The staff, students, parents and community of M.S. 180 are devoted to academic excellence and the cultivation of individual strengths and talents in a safe and supportive environment where individual differences and respect for the rights of others guide school and community behavior. The principal of the school is Frank Uzzo.
P.S. 75 in Manhattan serves 756 students in Kindergarten through 5th grade. 65% of the student population are eligible for the Free or Reduced Price Lunch Program. The mission of PS 75 is to be a learning environment in which a diverse community of children meets or exceeds high academic standards. The school believes that the best outcomes result from full school-home collaboration, and seeks to engage families in all aspects of their children's education. The principal of the school is Robert O'Brien.
P.S. 169, The Baychester Academy in the Bronx is a brand new school that serves 146 students in PreK through 1st grade. 100% of the student population are eligible for the Free or Reduced Price Lunch Program.The principal of the school is Cristine Vaughan.
