Expressing Life & Career Stories in Music
Educator: Barbara Buonagura ENL Itinerant Teacher
Other Participating Staff:
Katie Bliss - Music teacher
Mr. Drummund
Ms. Lisa Isaac
Teaching Artist: Napoleon Revels-Bey, Music/Drumming
Schools: Bellport Academic Center: Grades 9, 10, 11, and 12
Islip Academic Center: Grades 9,10, 11, and 12
Islip Career Center Eastern Suffolk BOCES: Grades 11 and 12
District: Eastern Suffolk BOCES https://data.nysed.gov/profile.php?instid=800000055835
January 18, March 4 & 11, 2024
Summary
This partnership brought ENL students together from three unique schools. The partnership paired a percussionist with ENL classes to understand ways that music can be a meaningful way to communicate as individuals and in a group. This project was especially powerful as it also encouraged the many teachers that surround the students through regular academics and learning interventions to see the arts as valuable to their teaching.
Rationale
Why did you work with this specific group of students? What issues were addressed during this project?
These students have been marginalized by being identified with a mix of social, neurodiverse, profiles, etc. This project will help them to have greater confidence and sense of self value in their school culture and beyond.
What learning goals/standards did this meet?
Arts
Make a song about themselves with a music teacher in addition to Napoleon’s collaboration.
MU: Cr1.1 Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
MU: Pr6.1 Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation.
MU: Re8.1 Interpret meaning in artistic work.
MU: Cn11.1 Investigate ways that artistic work is influenced by societal, cultural, and historical context and, in turn, how artistic ideas shape cultures past, present, and future.
CCCR
Connect Civic Skills & Action, College & Career Pathways:
CR-S
Inclusive Curriculum & Assessment, Elevate historically marginalized voices.
Creating a welcoming and affirming environment - Access the physical environment of the classroom and school to determine whether a variety of diverse cultures, languages, orientations, and identities are reflected, represented and valued.
Create opportunities to allow different groups and ideas to become part of the fabric of the school community by organizing proactive community-building circles and activities that promote positive relationships among individuals from diverse backgrounds. Include students, teachers, school staff, leaders, families, and community members in these opportunities.
Feature and highlight resources written and developed by traditionally marginalized voices that offer diverse perspectives on race, culture, language, gender, sexual identity, ability, religion, nationality, migrant/refugee status, socioeconomic status, housing status, and other identities traditionally silenced or omitted from the curriculum.
Fostering high expectations and rigorous instruction - Advocate for varied ways of learning (i.e. project-based learning, presentations, station work, small group work) that accommodate the diverse learning styles and interests of those in the class community.
Outcomes
We will know that student learning is expanded when they demonstrate that they…
KNOW… how to communicate and show the universal underlying musical patterns and perform and recreate their “stories” that reflect the forms & styles of their heritage.
UNDERSTAND… basic pedagogy of America’s musical blend of African, native American, European music & dance vocabularies, skills, and techniques. Students now understand and connect the rhythms of the North and West Africa, Caribbean, and US heritage,with early folk music and rhythms.
ARE ABLE TO… reflect their “life and career story” through music format as a backdrop to expression.
