NOLA Music Education Convening
• 40 K-12 public school educators
• 20 local community music programs
• 20 foundations and national funders
• 17 presenters and panelists
• 12 district, school, and city leaders
• 9 cultural institutions
• 7 arts service organizations
• 4 universities
We came together to discuss the future of music education in New Orleans now that the schools are back under local control. Over the course of two days, we covered topics from assessing the current landscape of music education in New Orleans to building successful music programs. Check out highlights from the convening in the video below.
Music Education Site Visits
National foundations and programs were invited to see what’s happening on the ground in New Orleans. They visited both school and community-based music programs.
Students from Morris Jeff Community School directed by music teacher, Daniel Akins
Music Education Happy Hour
Foundations, programs, teachers, schools, and artists gathered informally around the common goal of strengthening music education in the New Orleans community.
Students from the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts perform at the Jazz Museum
Morning Presentations and Breakfast Resource Fair
The National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and Save The Music Foundation presented strategies, funding opportunities, and resources for building a strong school music program. In addition, Artists Corps New Orleans presented preliminary data from the Mapping Music project, and the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) spoke about the district’s reunification and music education programs. If you’re interested in seeing the presentations, you can view them here. We also hosted a Breakfast Resource Fair where community music programs shared their their resources and built relationships with local school representatives.
Local music educators network at the Breakfast Resource Fair
Music Education Panel featuring Mr. Ellis Marsalis Jr.
Our panel of artists and educators discussed the state of music education in New Orleans, as well as their aspirations for the city’s music programs post-convening.
Panel (from left to right): Jonathan Bloom, musician and educator; Calvin Johnson, musician and music education advocate; Ellis Marsalis Jr., musician and educator; Al Kennedy, University of New Orleans; Germaine Bazzle, musician and educator; and Dr. Daryl Dickerson, music educator
Luncheon and Strategic Investment Sessions
A Friday luncheon and afternoon sessions were held for a smaller audience of foundations and national organizations dedicated to developing a shared vision and commitment toward music education in New Orleans.
