Exceptional Learners Deserve Music, Too!

Dear Friend and Supporter,

Thank you so much for your contributions to our nonprofit's efforts to bring musical access to students in special education.

This Fall has been a time of many changes in school districts, as well as in individual schools where we have been serving through music. Even with the extra work that change inevitably creates, progress is being made.

Only people who work in schools get to see behind the scenes of how changes in policy and procedures impact why and whether or not students receive vital services, and whether arts providers get to move forward. When school districts and specific schools  face very new protocols, regulations and eligibility, status, and funding revisions, everyone experiences confusion. Conflicting opinions fly around and progress can grind to a halt while admins try to get clarity. This is true even when the changes are for the best. Welcome to Fall 2023!

Either way,.when a district makes changes, administrators receive mysterious new sets of procedures that must be understood, learned and followed precisely. Errors abound. Revisions multiply. Between new applications to fill out, papers  to send across sequential desks for signatures, and new employees managing new protocols, people end the day wondering what they accomplished. This pretty much describes the stop and go traffic we often have experienced since September. Hurry up and wait!

The reassuring news is that we have been steadily inching forward, and now we are FINALLY back in motion on this initiative.

At CPMA, the middle school in San Diego about which we have shared in the past, the leader of the inclusion program left the school district suddenly in August to take a position heading an Arts Education advocacy organization. Big loss. She was a visionary leader who had partnered with us to design music inclusion for students in moderate to severe and medically and physically handicapped (MPH) classrooms. Her departure created a restaffing, and a 10 week delay in our return to serving. But we are excited to share that they work of many has paid off. We are already in classrooms again at CPMA with a whole new year, new schedule, and wonderful student and teacher participation. In addition, a parent with a student in Mod Severe education at CPMA, Ms. Sandi, is working with a documentary producter from Los Angeles to create a film that will feature this work! Ms. Sandi started teaching ukulele in her own special ed classroom at a different school last year with your support, and now she is leading a charge to capture the magic. Your gifts helped supply her with a set of beautiful concert ukuleles for her students to learn to play.

Our work in Home Hospital education continues as well, but has been severely truncated due to status and funding changes for HHTS. The great news is that last year you helped us train and equip the HHTS teachers and many are leading music independently thanks to your generosity. And thankfully, we are still holding our weekly Family Music Hour services with Mr. Jody for students with physical and medical conditions that limit their activities. They and their parents are showing up each week for music time!

This fall, we added programs in 2 schools for students with severe mental health conditions. The schools involved, March High School and Riley Middle School, offer stuednts therapeutic services during the school day, and their classes are small and responsive. Keep kids moving forward academically while supporting their wellness is a beautiful mission. I hope it inspires you. The school psychologist at both schools, Ms. Felciia, is a GITC team member. She successfully engaged classroom teachers in training with us, and now our teaching artists, Ms. Sharon and Mr. Dan are working directly with teachers and students to bring musical learning with ukuleles to the students there. In fact, music at Marcy High School is the subject of a new video which we are sharing in our links below. 

We're also looking forward to launching a new free virtual class in January for special educators everywhere called "Songs and Songwriting for Social Emotional Learning (SEL)" with GITC expert trainer, Reagan Duncan. Know a teacher or specialist who might like to train with us? Please send them to our website! New courses will be listed publicly next Monday at guitarsintheclassroom.org.

Thank you for continuing to support GITC's efforts to increase and expand musical inclusion for students with exceptionalities. The relief, self expression, and creative experiences they can experience through this limitless medium can produce such positive results. Please enjoy the video.

Sending you wishes for a peaceful, joyful, and abundant Thanksgiving, We hope you will donate to GITC on GivingTuesday. Every single gift makes a difference for students who deserve access to music.

With great appreciation and gratitude for your genuine care and generosity,

Jess

Links:

• Video about Music at March High School
• Our Website
• Article About GITC at CPMA