COVID19 Lesson Initiative

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During  these trying times, live online music lessons are some of the best ways  to continue learning. Our teachers and staff have worked tirelessly to  prepare the best online lessons possible.

COVID19 Initiative

A Note from the Program Administrator

Fundamental Music is committed to “Keeping the Music Going” and will adapt to any and all scheduling models used in the communities we serve.

We will work tirelessly to find the best situation for our school communities and our participating families so that every student who has an interest in learning an instrument, will have the opportunity to do so.

Here’s what FMI is doing to stop the spread of COVID19 among our teachers, staff, and students

There is an old saying, “May you live in interesting times.”  No one knows the true origin of this saying but it is a “Tongue in cheek” way to say that interesting times are often fraught with obstacles.

This pandemic is absolutely challenging us to recreate ourselves on many levels. We at Fundamental Music have always taken pride in being creative and flexible. This time is no different from that viewpoint – we are definitely rising to the challenge and have found new ways to recreate ourselves in a creative and flexible manner.

 

Fundamental Music is September Ready

  • Sequential Arts Education May Continue for ALL Students in ALL Instructional Models.

    Presuming there will be a form of Hybrid scheduling at most schools, live, online music lessons will be some of the best ways to continue learning when in school lessons are not possible. Our teachers and staff have worked tirelessly to prepare the best online classes. Students are currently participating and learning in both group classes and individual lessons online.

  • Fundamental Music has been providing professional development for it′s faculty.

    Fundamental Music has been providing Professional Development for its faculty in order to be most effective in the new environments when our schools reopen. We have been collaborating and developing the best and most effective techniques so each class will be tailored to the needs of the participants.

  • Fundamental Music proved to keep children educated during the spread of COVID19

    Fundamental Music demonstrated the ability to provide continuity of instruction during the Spring of 2020. This provides a level of confidence in the ability of our program to operate in any model, with the proper planning

  • Preparing for the Future

    While there are many aspects of instrumental music education that have been successful in remote environments, there is no true replacement for In-person instruction and group ensembles. We will schedule In-person learning as often as is allowable and as often as students are available.

Music Education & COVID19

There have been media reports throughout the spring and early summer about the impact of musical activities and the spread of COVID-19. Specifically, there has been speculation reported in the media about how musical instruments may transmit aerosols.
Music and arts educators fully embrace the need to have the health, safety, and wellness of our students, faculty, and staff be the priority as we prepare to return to school.
To that end, all “In School” instrumental music classes will adhere to strict social distance between students. We will limit class size to 3 students per teacher and use barriers between students to ensure safety

Fundamental Music’s Covid Plan will address the various reopening scheduling models:

  • In-Person Learning

    Traditional in school teaching and learning with implementation of guidelines provided by the CDC and the State of New Jersey Department of Health.

     

  • Hybrid Learning

    A combination of remote and in-person teaching and learning.

  • Remote Learning: ″Synchronous″

    Virtual learning through online platforms that occur in real-time. Educators and students meet on a specific virtual platform at a specific time on a regular basis.

  • Remote Learning: ″Asynchronous″

    Virtual learning through online platforms that occur on the students’ own time with no real-time interaction with the educator.

Fundamental Music practices social distancing.

  • We will use a limited class size of 3 students (After the intro class which does not need equipment and can be slightly larger while socially distanced)

     

     

  • Each student will have their own space which is separated by barriers to ensure there is no health issue

  • Chairs will be set more than 6 feet apart

  • All pianos, drums, chairs, music stands and barriers will be cleaned between each class

  • All PPE guidelines will be followed at all times

The sense of community that you find at school and in our program is not lost when online.

All students can still participate in fun group classes and monthly performance classes. Our teachers have reported that students find these classes really fun, and they allow them to teach in different ways that perhaps they couldn’t before.

In online group classes, students are encouraged to help each other, to listen, and to communicate with one another. This is a wonderful opportunity to stay productive, and for students to still see their friends! Individual classes are also offered should this be preferable for you!

Fundamental Music provides support to school educators

  • Instructional Videos & Backing Tracks

    We have created hundreds of short instructional videos and backing tracks. There is one for every line of music in our curriculum. This will help ensure meaningful, sequential instructional support for any scheduling model adapted.

  • Practice Incentive Programs

    We have successfully implemented a practice incentive program. Students receive written and Video feedback on the practice sessions that are submitted (in the Spring, we received 7600 submissions).

  • Individual & Small Group Virtual Lessons

    Teachers will provide individual and small group virtual lessons on a platform approved by the administration.

  • FMI Instructor Development & Enrichment

    Teachers have attended professional development sessions on safety and effective teaching strategies regarding remote learning.

  • ″All in One″ Lesson Books

    All lesson books have been rewritten to an “All in One” format to limit materials distributed during class.

     

  • Flexible Ensemble Music

    Ensemble music has been written to be flexible and creative in advancement levels so as to ensure meaningful, sequential learning in any scheduling model.

  • Multiple Remote Learning Platforms

    We will use Google Classroom, FlipGrid and Tone Saavy (among other platforms) to support in person or remote learning.

  • Online Recitals & Performances

    Performances will be Virtual using school-approved platforms.

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