Author: musicsaveseducation

Hailing from Vermont, Peter Siegel is a once frequent, now occasional touring musician and full time music teacher in Keene, New Hampshire. Influenced by the songwriting of Pete Seeger and other traditionalists, the chunking groove of a rugged old time jam, the effortlessly precise playing of trad Northern tunes, and the gutsy blues of the Stones, Peter’s music defies categorization. He’s been privileged to have played venues like Newport Folk, Clearwater Revival, Falcon Ridge, Festival for the Eno, Champlain Valley, Old Songs, Solarfest, The Iron Horse and the Kennedy Center, and have shared the stage with Seeger, Judy Collins, Dar Williams, David Amram, Utah Phillips, Michael Daves, Bread and Puppet, and Gordon Stone. His School, Symonds School, a public school in Keene, NH, embraces a social curriculum that promotes learning, collaboration, peace, and justice. K-5 students and faculty alike promote a culture of respect, understanding and community. Peter is the music teacher for the 340 or so children that attend Symonds. It is his goal that each child come away from their experience with a sense of purpose, creativity, inner beat, and a sense of lifelong learning in music. They may not become a “musician” yet they will at least see the world as a place in which creative art forms are something in which they will not just spectate, but take part. Music is creative power. The sense of empowerment that a child or adult feels when participating in a dance, a group song, a drum circle, a band, and orchestra translates to empowerment in life. Power to the children!

Pandemic talk: How Arts Teachers Can Promote a Sense of Community

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Arts teachers have challenges, even in normal times. Sometimes we have ample technology and resources; sometimes we don’t. We also have curricular standards and goals that matter, and sometimes they shouldn’t—at least initially. With remote classrooms, the foundation of learning engagement is student investment, which grows out of caring and connection, and arts teachers have …

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Teaching kids during a pandemic

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnsNMCGyNBk Song about "being together" We are still figuring this out but one thing is for sure-- We NEED music, movement and connection to get us through. Below are videos of a great dance to do 6 feet apart. I wrote the song and it was choreographed by some great folks at the MoCo dance …

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Edutopia

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Energy has been in the classroom these days but I wanted to post some videos that Edutopia produced on much of the work folks at Symonds are involved in.  Social learning, art, and the integration of social curriculum with academics.  Check this out! http://www.edutopia.org/school/symonds-elementary-school http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmVhO3nL2EM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXn_ef9T1oE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMctALPpLF4

Teaching About the Holidays

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I've really grown to love teaching about the holidays during this season.  In my former schools, we would have holiday concerts for which we would need to prepare. I feel like mandatory concerts amount to a sugar-coated version of teaching to the test.  Rudolf, dreidels, nothing pretending to be religious, but everyone has to "perform" …

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Maintaining the ecosystem

On By musicsaveseducationIn child driven learning, music education, public schools, sense of place, Uncategorized, Whole Body ListeningLeave a comment

Likely not a conscious choice, the garden at Symonds is an unofficial symbol of nourishment, connection, and being part of something greater in our world.  Tom Julius, Director of the teacher certification program at Antioch New England Graduate School has referred to the ideal educational setting as an elaborate ecosystem.   One main idea being …

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Child Driven Learning

On By musicsaveseducationIn child driven learning, music education, public schools, sense of placeLeave a comment

Moving past the phase of getting students "culturally adjusted" to the classroom, I'm  now focused on how we learn in the classroom.  I've become increasingly aware of (and acutely frightened of) the idea of becoming a talking head teacher.    I LOVE to talk in front of people, often to a fault.  This comes from …

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