Teachers, Specialists & Support Staff, learn to put your free GITC training to work so that every student gets the chance to learn through the power of music
GITC TEACHES SONG LEADERSHIP FOR LEARNING
Students in GITC classrooms become enthusiastic music makers when their teachers and support specialists make singing and strumming a part of daily learning. These teachers may never have played a note in their lives. Our free weekly courses provide teachers with training and support, and access to free or deeply discounted instruments for students. In time, even total beginners become fearless music leaders and songwriters for learning. They receive constant encouragement from their students who are very grateful for the chance to sing, strum, and compose their own songs together. This mutual learning process has a marvelous effect on student-teacher relationships, increasing admiration, trust, and authenticity.
Students in GITC classrooms become enthusiastic music makers when their teachers and support specialists make singing and strumming a part of daily learning. These teachers may never have played a note in their lives. Our free weekly courses provide teachers with training and support, and access to free or deeply discounted instruments for students. In time, even total beginners become fearless music leaders and songwriters for learning. They receive constant encouragement from their students who are very grateful for the chance to sing, strum, and compose their own songs together. This mutual learning process has a marvelous effect on student-teacher relationships, increasing admiration, trust, and authenticity.
OUR COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING AFTER SCHOOL
GITC offers free, weekly after school music leadership classes for teachers, teacher aides, school specialists, classroom volunteers and classified staff. Everyone is welcome.
We believe any adult who has a positive experience of making music can become "that special person" who helps a child discover their voice. We are determined to make sure every teacher who wants to learn to incorporate music as a teaching strategy gets that chance.
GITC offers free, weekly after school music leadership classes for teachers, teacher aides, school specialists, classroom volunteers and classified staff. Everyone is welcome.
We believe any adult who has a positive experience of making music can become "that special person" who helps a child discover their voice. We are determined to make sure every teacher who wants to learn to incorporate music as a teaching strategy gets that chance.
CLASSROOM TEACHING ARTIST RESIDENCIES
GITC offers teaching artist residencies for highly engaged classroom teachers who also participate in our professional development courses. The residencies focus on student singing, songwriting and strumming ukuleles or playing guitar for literacy, math, and cross-curricular learning, and for Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Our highly qualified teaching artists visit residency classrooms weekly and co-teach with the classroom educator, helping them develop music leadership skills. At the end of the residency, students can strum and sing, and teachers can teach through the power of song!
GITC offers teaching artist residencies for highly engaged classroom teachers who also participate in our professional development courses. The residencies focus on student singing, songwriting and strumming ukuleles or playing guitar for literacy, math, and cross-curricular learning, and for Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Our highly qualified teaching artists visit residency classrooms weekly and co-teach with the classroom educator, helping them develop music leadership skills. At the end of the residency, students can strum and sing, and teachers can teach through the power of song!
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Classroom co-teaching artist residencies are available in person at this time in San Diego and Los Angeles schools from preschool through middle school. We can also schedule remote residencies into participating classrooms anywhere by teaching virtually.
Residencies can be contracted by and for highly motivated teachers and their students.
~A short term residency focuses on a theme or unit of study
~A semester-long residency supports Literacy, Math or SEL.
~A long term co-teaching residency includes up to 20 weeks of co-teaching, coaching, and support for building independent music leadership.
Classroom co-teaching artist residencies are available in person at this time in San Diego and Los Angeles schools from preschool through middle school. We can also schedule remote residencies into participating classrooms anywhere by teaching virtually.
Residencies can be contracted by and for highly motivated teachers and their students.
~A short term residency focuses on a theme or unit of study
~A semester-long residency supports Literacy, Math or SEL.
~A long term co-teaching residency includes up to 20 weeks of co-teaching, coaching, and support for building independent music leadership.
MUSIC FACULTY TRAINING
In addition to making music part of learning in general elementary classrooms, GITC trains music teachers to play and incorporate ukulele and guitar as a part of their general Tk-8 music classes. We are often asked to work with an entire music faculty for a school district. These trainings are hand tailored to meet the goals of the music department. From within the group of certificated music teachers who train with GITC, we seek individuals with a passion for sharing the music with their colleagues in the general classroom. In this way, GITC forges and nurtures deep and meaningful relationships between music educators and general educators, expanding the role of music in schools. This kind of creative relationship breaks down barriers and helps music flow throughout the school day and across the curriculum!
ADAPTIVE MUSIC TRAINING (a.k.a. AMAISE)
AMAISE stands for Adaptive Music for Achievement in Inclusion and Special Education. We pronounce it "a-maze."
Learning to make music is valuable for every student and it can have an amazing impact on quality of learning, social relationship building, and quality of life.
For children experiencing medical, cognitive, neurological, motoric and social-emotional challenges and for their teachers, support providers, and paras, AMAISE training has proven to be a true life-changer for students, families, teachers, beahvioral support providers, therapists, and whole school inclusion. We offer workshops, intensives, in-service training, and specialized residencies for homebound and hospitalized students, too. Everything is "made to order" so please get in touch to brainstorm a training that fits your school's needs.
Educators who learn to adapt music and develop innovative techniques and accommodations to meet students "where they are," maximizing on their abilities and developing new ones, can radically improvide their students' learning, joy, and quality of life. Doing this with support from GITC makes this easier. We hope you'll join us!
In AMAISE workshops and courses, we teach through movement, drumming, strumming, and singing songs. We also include keyboards, a wide variety of percussion instruments, chimes, and instruments students can blow or hum into. Troubles literally "melt like lemondrops" everyone begins to make music together.
GITC supplies specialized instruments and accessories so students with a broad range of challenges can learn to hold, shake, strike, chord and strum them with support, then independently. Nothing motivates any of us more than the joy of strumming, feeling and hearing a ukulele, guitar or inventing and repeating a rhythm pattern on a drum or with a shaker. With AMAISE, music-making becomes a medium for students' personal success and also opens the door to a vibrant approach to creating positive, whole-group social experiences. The difference accessible music can make in the learning environment is as dramatic as night and day. It all hinges on educators and specialists adopting this important work.
Anyone who want to make a difference can support this endeavor. If you believe learning can be AMAISE-ing for students in Inclusion and Special Education and you want to help, please get in touch with us HERE.
AMAISE stands for Adaptive Music for Achievement in Inclusion and Special Education. We pronounce it "a-maze."
Learning to make music is valuable for every student and it can have an amazing impact on quality of learning, social relationship building, and quality of life.
For children experiencing medical, cognitive, neurological, motoric and social-emotional challenges and for their teachers, support providers, and paras, AMAISE training has proven to be a true life-changer for students, families, teachers, beahvioral support providers, therapists, and whole school inclusion. We offer workshops, intensives, in-service training, and specialized residencies for homebound and hospitalized students, too. Everything is "made to order" so please get in touch to brainstorm a training that fits your school's needs.
Educators who learn to adapt music and develop innovative techniques and accommodations to meet students "where they are," maximizing on their abilities and developing new ones, can radically improvide their students' learning, joy, and quality of life. Doing this with support from GITC makes this easier. We hope you'll join us!
In AMAISE workshops and courses, we teach through movement, drumming, strumming, and singing songs. We also include keyboards, a wide variety of percussion instruments, chimes, and instruments students can blow or hum into. Troubles literally "melt like lemondrops" everyone begins to make music together.
GITC supplies specialized instruments and accessories so students with a broad range of challenges can learn to hold, shake, strike, chord and strum them with support, then independently. Nothing motivates any of us more than the joy of strumming, feeling and hearing a ukulele, guitar or inventing and repeating a rhythm pattern on a drum or with a shaker. With AMAISE, music-making becomes a medium for students' personal success and also opens the door to a vibrant approach to creating positive, whole-group social experiences. The difference accessible music can make in the learning environment is as dramatic as night and day. It all hinges on educators and specialists adopting this important work.
Anyone who want to make a difference can support this endeavor. If you believe learning can be AMAISE-ing for students in Inclusion and Special Education and you want to help, please get in touch with us HERE.
FAQs
CAN ANYONE HELP START A GITC PROGRAM?
Yes, anyone who is deeply interested in bringing this work to education in their community can help get a program started. It takes a village to raise a program! Whether you are a teacher, administrator, parent, musician, music teacher, therapist or donor, you can play an important role in establishing GITC where you are. Please reach out to us to brainstorm the process. Together we will look for the best fit for your district, qualify and train the right faculty trainer, establish a host school, and lay the foundation for the new program. This does take time, energy, money and elbow grease but it's all worth it when the program launches!
Yes, anyone who is deeply interested in bringing this work to education in their community can help get a program started. It takes a village to raise a program! Whether you are a teacher, administrator, parent, musician, music teacher, therapist or donor, you can play an important role in establishing GITC where you are. Please reach out to us to brainstorm the process. Together we will look for the best fit for your district, qualify and train the right faculty trainer, establish a host school, and lay the foundation for the new program. This does take time, energy, money and elbow grease but it's all worth it when the program launches!
HOW CAN I BRING GITC TO MY DISTRICT?
When a school district or individual public school asks to host GITC, then interested teachers are invited to voluntarily sign up for a workshop or to enroll in a class that meets each week after school. No musical experience is required. Our methods are quite easy for beginners to learn. Each teacher receives a ukulele to keep and a guitar they can borrow long term. We teach them to sing, play, write and lead songs for learning, and how to facilitate making music with their students. While the teachers gain music and leadership skills, they co-write songs that correspond to their current curriculum and they create musically infused lesson plans.
When a school district or individual public school asks to host GITC, then interested teachers are invited to voluntarily sign up for a workshop or to enroll in a class that meets each week after school. No musical experience is required. Our methods are quite easy for beginners to learn. Each teacher receives a ukulele to keep and a guitar they can borrow long term. We teach them to sing, play, write and lead songs for learning, and how to facilitate making music with their students. While the teachers gain music and leadership skills, they co-write songs that correspond to their current curriculum and they create musically infused lesson plans.
WHY DOES GITC TEACH WEEKLY?
Some organizations offer teachers a weekend workshop or week-long class once a year and they charge teachers for their services. Not GITC. We choose to take a road less traveled by offering weekly classes for educators, staff and specialists because musicality takes time to grow. Workshops give inspiration and a nice launch but what then? We provide beginners with the time and support they need to learn at their own pace.
WHY IS GITC FREE TO TEACHERS?
We've learned that almost 60% of GITC teachers can participate because the classes are free for them. Teachers are underpaid and they appreciate getting a chance to learn without a financial struggle. The cost of instruments and supplies could be prohibitive for most. But thanks to some very compassionate and smart people, these are covered through charitable donations and sponsorships from contributors, business sponsors and fabulous foundations! The truth is that teachers contribute by volunteering their precious time, energy and talent. Those who show up are not there for a pay bump - they attend because music matters a lot to them. If a district can fund the teachers to participate, we are glad to oblige, but this is more often the exception than the rule. We hope someday that schools have enough arts funding to support all interested teachers to receive music integration training with GITC!
Some organizations offer teachers a weekend workshop or week-long class once a year and they charge teachers for their services. Not GITC. We choose to take a road less traveled by offering weekly classes for educators, staff and specialists because musicality takes time to grow. Workshops give inspiration and a nice launch but what then? We provide beginners with the time and support they need to learn at their own pace.
WHY IS GITC FREE TO TEACHERS?
We've learned that almost 60% of GITC teachers can participate because the classes are free for them. Teachers are underpaid and they appreciate getting a chance to learn without a financial struggle. The cost of instruments and supplies could be prohibitive for most. But thanks to some very compassionate and smart people, these are covered through charitable donations and sponsorships from contributors, business sponsors and fabulous foundations! The truth is that teachers contribute by volunteering their precious time, energy and talent. Those who show up are not there for a pay bump - they attend because music matters a lot to them. If a district can fund the teachers to participate, we are glad to oblige, but this is more often the exception than the rule. We hope someday that schools have enough arts funding to support all interested teachers to receive music integration training with GITC!