The Gallagher-Bluedorn offers several professional development workshops throughout the year for current and future teachers in the area. These seminars are part of a series developed by the Waterloo Community School District and UNI’s Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center (GBPAC). As part of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education Program, these two organizations have joined forces to provide professional development for teachers with a special emphasis on the arts.
The purpose of the partnership is to provide teachers and UNI education students a repertoire of teaching tools provide resources for meeting multiple learning needs of students and increase teaching effectiveness across the curriculum.
Imani Gonzalez introduces music of other cultures to Orange Elementary students
Exploring World Cultures through Music, was held in Cedar Falls and Marshalltown. The workshop, conducted by Imani Gonzalez, focused on using children’s songs, rhythms, and musical activities to introduce students to the richness of other cultures. Songs from such places as India, SeneGambie (a West African region), and Brazil can help students learn about the lifestyles and values of children from faraway countries and come to appreciate the similarities and differences between these cultures and their own.
The workshop also offered teacher materials to incorporate into classrooms. As one teacher responded, “We can use the teacher guide she provided to talk about the different cultures, help increase geography and vocabulary, and view the great photos included in the guide.”