“[With the MNMP program] we’re teaching these kids to express themselves … we’re actually giving them the skills that they need every day, in a fun way. Because if you look at the learning standards, even for literacy or sciences, it’s the same: Speaking, reading, listening and writing and we’re doing that with music.”

"I work with students who face challenges including severe multiple handicaps, intellectual delays, language delays, blindness, deafness, autism, medical fragility, emotional issues and/or learning disabilities. Our type of student is but a small and unique part of District 75.  By participating in the MNMP program, for the first time I learned as well as taught. In the past I’ve felt that I "taught" the teaching artists rather than learned. This time I learned so much - and was able to enrich my curriculum as I applied what I learned in my lessons. I am so grateful to the program and hope it continues for a long time to come."

“The MNMP program gave me the opportunity to confer with and learn from other teachers and artists.  It made me better prepared to teach my students and helped me grow as a teacher and musician.”

 “Some of my kids have really low reading levels, but they were able to make their own compositions and read the music as they were playing an instrument … we’re trying to train these kids to attach meaning to text and they were doing it with music. So now I’m trying to replace that skill and say ‘Hey, the same thing you did with music you can do with letters.’”

“I had an experience with a little girl. She has problems identifying letter of the alphabet. She just recently learned how to spell her name. She’s eight. We did an activity about composing – we were doing tempo. [The student conductors] moved their hands in a circular motion, and the faster they moved, the faster we clapped, and the slower they moved, the slower the rest of the group did. … She jumped at this. This is a little girl who doesn’t participate in anything because her skills are so low, but she was the second [student to get up and conduct the class]. She got up there, conducted the group, and her esteem was built. I mean, she had such a smile on her face because she had a chance to say, ‘You know, I can do this, I understand it and I’m going to show you guys that I understand it.’ And it was great to see her rise up and be able to say, ‘Hey, I’m part of this class.’”

“I want you to know -- in all my years of teaching – this is only the second workshop that has given me ideas and concepts I can actually use.”