September 25th - Esther D'Agrosa

Compelling Connections: Music and Reading

We all have our favorite music to sing, play, and listen to. We also have our favorite books to read, but how do the two interact? In this workshop we’ll learn how music and language relate and how to share this relationship with our students! Esther D’Agrosa specializes in making cross-curricular connections between music and English literacy. Not only will she show parallels between music and English skills, Esther will share some of her favorite lesson plans. With her guidance, we will also learn methods for developing our own lessons that connect what students learn in general education classrooms with what we teach in music. (NOTE: If you are trying to obtain your MI Professional Teaching Certificate, this workshop is a great primer for concepts taught in state-mandated literacy enhancement classes. Although this workshop cannot substitute for such a course, you will learn to adapt principles taught in that setting to the music classroom.)

Esther D’Agrosa teaches teacher education courses and has recently retired as Associate Professor / Coordinator of Music Education at Morningside College, Sioux City, IA. She served on the NBT of AOSA, as the Elementary Music Chair of Iowa MEA, and as President of the Iowa Alliance for Arts Education.