FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
     
    S
      
    TATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
     
    T. WILLARD FAIR,
    Chairman
    Members
    DONNA G. CALLAWAY
     
    DR. AKSHAY DESAI
     
    ROBERTO MARTINEZ
     
    PHOEBE RAULERSON
     
    KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
     
    LINDA K. TAYLOR
     
     
    Jeanine Blomberg
    Commissioner of Education
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Contact Information:
    Linda Lovins
    (850) 245-0762
    Linda.Lovins@fldoe.org
    K12: 2007-181
     
    MEMORANDUM
     
    TO:
    District School Superintendents
    District School Assistant Superintendents
    School Principals
     
    FROM:
    Cheri Pierson Yecke, Ph.D.
     
    DATE:
    November 13, 2007
     
     
    SUBJECT:
    Invitation to Annual Music Education In-Service Clinic-Conference
     
     
    Your district is invited to send music teachers to participate in the upcoming conference sponsored by
    the Florida Music Educators’ Association (FMEA) in cooperation with the Florida Department of
    Education. Conference activities begin at the Tampa Convention Center on Wednesday afternoon,
    January 9, and end with a series of All-State concerts on Saturday, January 12, 2008.
     
    The FMEA In-Service Clinic-Conference is the largest professional development conference for music
    educators held in any state east of the Mississippi River. The FMEA conference will offer more than
    200 individual workshops and seminars for a variety of topics ranging from FCAT skills to assessment
    in the classroom and issues related to special learners.
     
    Pre-Conference Sessions
     
    The Wednesday afternoon sessions (January 9, 2008) are focused on “Music Literacy: Beyond the Notes
    on the Page.” In addition to the opening session, there will be eight sessions that address literacy
    strategies, issues related to special learners, music as intervention for struggling readers, and
    assessment. Breakout sessions include:
    •
     
    Literacy: Music’s Hidden Agenda
    •
      
    Peer mentoring: Utilizing music students’ exceptional qualities to reach special learners and open
    creative inclusion music opportunities
    •
     
    Expanding the Music Curriculum: A Win, Win
    •
     
    Music Involvement for the Special Learner
    •
     
    Lift Every Voice for Literacy: A Singing and Reading Approach
    CHERI PIERSON YECKE, PH.D.
    CHANCELLOR, K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOLS
     
    325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 514 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0509 • www.fldoe.org
     
    Invitation to Annual Music Education In-Service Clinic-Conference
    November 13, 2007
    Page Two
     
     
    •
     
    World Music Drumming Curriculum: Developing Reading, Language Arts, Math, Science,
    Social Studies, and Character Education Skills through the Academic Study of Music
    •
     
    The FMEA Assessment Project. How far we have come and where we are going
     
    Keynote Speaker
      
    Sir Ken Robinson will be the keynote speaker for the Opening General Membership Meeting on January
    10. He is a world-renowned speaker who was voted
    Business Speaker of the Year
    by more than 200
    global and European countries before moving to the United States. He was knighted in 2003 by Queen
    Elizabeth II for his outstanding achievements as a leader in creativity, education, and the arts.
      
    Sessions and Vendors
    Technology: Hardware and software applications are a significant track of the conference and teachers
    will have the opportunity to have “hands-on” experiences with current applications and ask questions of
    expert presenters. Some of the session titles include: Podcasting in the Music Classroom; Composing
    Across the Curriculum; Media and Copyright Law; Recording Digital Audio; and three sessions of
    Music Software Review.
      
    In response to the fine arts credit requirement for high school graduation, a number of general music
    sessions will address and explore opportunities for students not engaged in band, orchestra, and chorus.
    Recognizing that many students will need a year in the Arts, and knowing that a significant number
    would like to explore music, there will be sessions on teaching guitar, steel drums, and world-music
    drumming. The technology sessions noted above also include applications for electronic composition
    and sound engineering, which are often favorites of high school students.
      
    Additionally, the conference includes a comprehensive exhibition hall of vendors – publishers,
    manufacturers, fund-raisers, colleges/universities, military recruiters, and more. Music educators
    prepared to make purchases from the exhibition floor can often find substantial discounts on a variety of
    equipment.
     
    General Information
    The conference is designed so every music educator – new or experienced – will find sessions of high
    interest. Sessions are also designed to support the issues foremost on every school campus in the state,
    particularly those related to literacy and other FCAT goals. The Elementary, Middle School, and High
    School All-State rehearsals and concerts are also an exciting and instructional part of the conference.
      
    As defined by the
    No Child Left Behind Act
    – music, as part of the Arts, is a core-curriculum subject.
    Under that definition, music educators are eligible to receive federal Title II funds for professional
    development. Music educators in many school districts are rarely served by professional development
    opportunities that address the specific discipline, which this conference can provide.
     
    Information about registration and lodging is available on-line at http://www.flmusiced.org/.
    Pre-
    Registration Deadlines:
    The postmark deadline for paper pre-registration is November 28, 2007; on-
    line pre-registration ends at 11:59 pm on December 3, 2007.
     

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