Eduardo Mendonça facilitates a professional development session

On Saturday, Jan. 25, The Creative Advantage hosted The Seattle Music Education Coalition’s Professional Development Day at Seattle Opera Center. The Coalition strives to build music programs and opportunities for Seattle Public School’s youth. It includes SPS Visual & Performing Arts music teachers, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, The Rhapsody Project, and Seattle-based music partners. The day included four workshops for music educator attendees to dig into:

• Strings and Songs of the Heart: Integrating Mariachi, Traditional Gongs and Games into Your Music Curriculum with Paula Madrigal by Orquesta Northwest 

• Afro-Caribbean Rhythms with Dr. Christopher Mena 

• The Art of Inclusion While Having FUN! with Eduardo Mendonça by Show Brazil 

• Music Making Grounded in Culture: Teaching Improv and Theory by Ear with Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons 

The event focused on participatory strategies for student engagement. Participants explored the history and cultural significance of many musical genres and immersed themselves in experimentation and collaborative music making. It was a joyful day with teachers walking away rejuvenated and loaded up with flexible exercises and activities to try in their own classrooms.

Next up

• The Creative Advantage hosts the Visual Arts Education Coalition’s Professional Development Day at Seattle Asian Art Museum on Saturday, March 8, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Registration is free, please sign up to attend.

• Save the Date for The Seattle Theatre Education Coalition Day at the Fifth Avenue Theatre on Saturday, June 14.  More details to come.