Erin M. Grady's ePortfolio

Community Involvement

The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students' learning and well-being.

Community involvement is important to me both personally and professionally. Personally, I love feeling part of a community, as though I am a part of a greater whole, working together with my other community members. Professionally, community involvement is especially important to music educators since their subject is often in need of advocacy. Community support is needed for music booster clubs, chaperones for music field trips, audiences for concerts, and support for funding. In return, music education by its very nature offers a great deal of opportunities for music teachers to give back to their communities. Public performances, both in concert and non-concert settings, can enrich the lives of a community. Community music programs for learners of all ages can be a great service in a community, as can pre-school age music classes.

Community involvement in a music program also helps students see how wide-reaching the effects of music can be. If music education is limited to the rehearsal space, students can view it as something which takes place in school, and school alone. If they can take their skills in music and apply them at football games, or community fairs, or street festivals, or nursing homes, they will better see that music is something which can be enjoyed by all people in many contexts. This helps to keep music as a subject for life-long learning.

Community involvement also involves keeping appraised of the political climate in an area. Laws are being continually passed which effect educators in both good and detrimental ways. Similarly, legislation can have an effect on music and the arts. For example, Issue 18 recently passed in Ohio, which uses funds from tobacco taxes to help preserve arts education programs in the county.

In trying to create a sense of community involvement in my present environment, I have found an excellent outlet for both a sense of connectedness and musical activities. I have been hired as a soprano section leader and assistant director at the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland. In addition to making music with enthusiastic volunteers, it has allowed me to learn more about people in my community. I have enjoyed holding this job very much, and I hope to be able to find such jobs in my future communities. It would make my music program more in-touch with the needs of the community, both in image and in practice.

Community Artifacts

Program of Service for First Unitarian Church of Cleveland t (PDF File)
This program shows that I am serving in the capacity of Assistant Director of the Chancel Choir at the First Unitarian Church of Cleveland. Here I have made many strong ties with members of my community and have furthered my development as a choral conductor.

Reflection on Community Involvement (PDF File)
This document is a reflection of my experience observing a sixth grade orchestra class. The school is fortunate to have a good deal of monetary resources, although the same is not true of many students in the district. In the highlighted section of this reflection, I recount a solution the string teacher has devised which gets her high school orchestra members involved with the younger string pupils. In creating this link, the teacher is better able to serve her community as a whole. The idea of involving students across grade levels is one that I would like to incorporate into my ensembles in the future.

Thank You for Caroling (PDF File)
This e-mail is from the president of the Case Men's Glee Club, thanking the Case Women's Glee Club, for which I was serving as Assistant Director, for our participation in a campus-wide caroling event. The caroling took place during a busy week of studying for the college community, and we were able to provide students with a short but welcome study break as we sang a short set of holiday songs. Outreach such as this can be great for music ensembles of any kind. They serve the dual purpose of providing a service for the community at large, while also increasing the visibility of the ensemble.

Reflection on Community Interaction (Web Link)
In this weekly reflection from my student teaching experience in the spring of 2009, I discuss having the opportunity to support my high school students outside of school by going to see their production of The Music Man. Not only did doing so support my high school students, but several students from the elementary school also saw me there. They came up to me, asked me about the show, and were generally very happy to see me outside of the classroom. Both of these aspects of community involvement were very important to me, and I hope to continue to have experiences like them in the future.