Music Engagement Program

Celebrating Beethoven!

Today's google doodle celebrates 245 years of Beethoven, and involves a wonderful interactive musical game and animation: https://g.co/doodle/uzdg5u

In 1999 MEP founder Susan West arranged her wonderful 'Oh Beethoven', the story of Beethoven's life set to his most famous musical themes. Here are some excerpts from the peice, performed by childrenback in 1999, accompanied by Dr West. If you are interested in learning about 'Oh Beethoven' contact the MEP. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDq7iIQmzKk

http://citynews.com.au/2015/count-kids-music/

Count the kids in for music - Canberra CityNews MORE than 1000 children from ACT schools and people from ACT community groups are joining together in song today, Thursday, October 29. The Big Gig will se

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-29/music-count-us-in-event-sees-canberra-children-sing-a-long/6896318

Students take part in sing-a-long for school music Primary school students from across Australia sing their hearts out in Canberra to highlight the importance of music in schools.

A tired Constable Kenny after a very exciting Big Gig!!! Singing with 1000 school children can take it out of you, but such fun was had by all!!

There's a VERY special guest here for today's Big Gig... Constable Kenny Koala!!!

Interesting article. The main point to take away is that playing with and making music with your baby, singing songs with them in the bath, making up songs in the car, is very important.

https://theconversation.com/jamming-with-your-toddler-how-music-trumps-reading-for-childhood-development-49660

Jamming with your toddler: how music trumps reading for childhood development New research shows shared music-making with toddlers may have benefits above and beyond those of reading.

The hangings are up, only two more sleeps til the Big Gig!!

Dear Facebook people, we are doing a big kids and community concert next week, and require some props...does anyone have, by any chance, a white hobby horse, and / or a little kids tiny motor bike (like the ones toddlers ride)?? If so could you let us know and I could borrow it and bring it back next weekend? It's for a good cause!

A wonderful day was had by all, lots of singing and sunshine! Our hosts did a wonderful job, they were naturals, thanks Tiff and Bob! Thanks to all those who came along, thanks to all our community volunteers, including Katarina, Anna, Pat and Carolyn. And thanks to Luke for the fabulous photos.

Newsflash: MEP wins $20,000 tender from Music Australia to deliver professional development and support to teachers in regional NSW!!

Thanks to funding from Music Australia (formerly Music Council of Australia), the MEP will be delivering free teacher training and support programs to regional NSW in the lead up to the national music advocacy event ‘Music: Count Us In’. The MEP has been delivering professional development workshops for teachers in the ACT for over 15 years, but because the MEP is funded by the ACT Government, it's delivery to regional NSW has been very limited and the teachers who come from interstate have had to pay nominal costs to engage. The MEP has been working annually with Music Australia for over 8 years to deliver the ACT portion of 'Music. Count Us In'. This has involved teacher workshops and major culminating events, sometimes involving up to 2000 students live-streamed across Australia singing from Parliament House. Information for regional NSW areas who will be able to access MEP’s services will be released shortly.
http://musicaustralia.org.au/program/countusin/

Music: Count Us In | Music Australia We represent all Australian musicians and music interests as an advocate, information provider and enabler for all music lovers.

Newsflash: MEP again invited to be included in United Nations' 'Music as a Global Resource' Compendium!

In 2011 the MEP was invited to be included in the 2011 publication 'Music as a Global Resource', distributed to the full United Nations General Assembly (link to the 2011 edition here: http://www.musicasaglobalresource.org/ ). The invitation was as a result of a presentation by Georgia Pike of Susan West's research about the MEP at the Research in Music Education (RIME) Conference in Exeter, UK, in 2010.

The MEP has again received an invitation to be included in the new 2015 edition, in the 'Lifelong Learning' section. We will publish a link to the new compendium once it has been released. It is wonderful to think that the MEP's work is being spread throughout the world to communities who might be helped by our philosophies and practices. This is the second acknowledgement of the MEP's work in the last few weeks, following the Team Award from Volunteering ACT on May 14. Go Team MEP!!!

Music as a Global Resource compiles music projects used for therapy Music as a Global Resource is a world-wide initiative to use the universal power of music together with information and communications technologies to solve critical social, economic and health issues on the national, regional and local levels in both developed and developing countries.

MEP acknowledged by Volunteering ACT

Last week, the MEP won the 'Arts and Environment' category, team award at Volunteering ACT's awards night. They were nominated by the staff at Sir Leslie Moreshead Manor, Lyneham for the work they do there and at other care facilities in the ACT. Through these experiences all participants become music makers regardless of age, ability or skill level.

The MEP were honoured by the nomination and thrilled to have won the award.

MEP Professional Learning
An additional series of teacher professional learning sessions for the month of May has been released.
These include 'Accredited' and 'Teacher Identified' PL.
Information was sent to our mailing list yesteday. If you didn't receive the email and would like this information, please email the MEP team via [email protected]