October 6, 2000

Music school receives Texaco foundation grant for early note music education project

Loyola University is pleased to announce that the Texaco Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to the College of Music for a preschool music curriculum training program. As a result, a three-year initiative to design, implement, and assess integrative pre-kindergarten through kindergarten music curriculum will begin this fall through the Partnerships in Education Office, in collaboration with New Orleans Public Schools (NOPS) Music Department, Title I, and Loyola's College of Music.

During the three-year period, early childhood music instruction will be made available for approximately 810 students in six Title I elementary schools in the Orleans Parish School System. The program will be piloted at Lafayette Elementary and subsequently move into Crossman, Dunbar, McNair, McDonough #32, and Rosenwald schools in years two and three.

All classes will be taught by certified music teachers specializing in early childhood education under the supervision of Professor Gwen Hotchkiss, chair of music education at Loyola University. Parents will be invited to attend workshops and training classes. The objective of this collaborative effort is to enhance student performance in regularly assessed content areas of math, science, and reading through integration with music instruction. Content will be integrated into NOPS existing curriculum and consistent with the state and national standards and benchmarks for music and other curricular areas.

The program will be monitored and assessed regularly by teachers enlisted in the project and through authentic assessment measures implemented in this district. The funding sources collaborating to make this music education possible are the Texaco Foundation, Loyola College of Music, and New Orleans Public Schools Title I.

Panel discussion and concert scheduled

Loyola University, Harper's Magazine, and Texaco Foundation will host a panel discussion titled, A Chorus of Viewpoints on Music Education, on Wednesday, October 11, at 6 p.m. in Roussel Performance Hall.

Panelists will include Dr. Billy Taylor, pianist, recording artist, composer and music educator; Dr. Linda Page Neelly, director, Early Childhood Music, the Metropolitan Opera; Anne T. Dowling, president, Texaco Foundation and Early Notes the Sound of Children LearningMusic Education Initiatives; Dr. Wendy Hicks Valerio, director, Children's Music Development Center, University of South Carolina; Moses George Hogan, artist-in-residence, Loyola College of Music; and Hurley Blanchard, drummer, recording artist, and music educator. Dr. Edward Kvet, dean of the College of Music, will moderate the panel. The panel discussion will be followed by a special musical performance.

Panelists will discuss the impact of early childhood music education. Many studies have explored music's astonishing and wide-ranging benefitsfrom higher IQ and SAT scores to improved attention span and self-confidence. Following the discussion, there will be an opportunity for audience members to respond to and ask questions of the panelists.

The panel discussion and performance are free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended. Please call (504) 865-3037 for reservations. For more information, call Kristine David ext. 5888 or Reid Wick at ext. 2074 or Harper's Magazine contact Ellen Ryder at (212) 226-6563.