Teachers, students spend day immersed in multi-cultural music education

                                     Natalie Kreutzer

LA GRANDE, Oregon – Sitting in a circle in the middle of the floor, hands beating out a rhythm on the carpet and lips chanting the words to a traditional African song, teachers from 10 rural neighboring counties participated in a music in-service day on Friday, Oct. 13 at Eastern Oregon University.

 

They came to learn about the development of music in children with instructor Natalie Kreutzer. EOU music students joined in the session and before long, everyone started dancing and clapping as they learned children’s singing games of Zimbabwe.

 

Kreutzer, associate professor of music education at the University of Idaho, has presented workshops across the country and also taught at the University of Zimbabwe. She holds a doctorate in music education with minors in ethnomusicology and jazz, and is fluent in Spanish and Ki-Swahili.

 

EOU music students practice a children's singing
game played often by children in Zimbabwe.

     Afternoon sessions covered teaching methods

     and resources for jazz and blues. Additional in-

     service classes were held at La Grande High

     School where music educators participated in

     reading sessions for band and choir.

 

    

     ArtsEast, home of Eastern Oregon Regional Arts

     Council, has sponsored teacher in-services and teacher workshops for the past seven years at EOU. They have provided music, dance, theater and arts workshops for more than 380 students enrolled in the university’s education and music programs.

 

Jane Howell, director of ArtsEast, expressed excitement with the EOU Music Department’s support of the in-service day this year. In 2007 ArtsEast and EOU will celebrate 30 years of partnership promoting the arts in the region.

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