Listening to Comprehend: Deepening Understandings Through Music with Emily Smith—Kennedy Center Workshop

The Mansfield Partners in Education Team, comprised of the Renaissance Performing Arts Association, the Mansfield Art Center, and Mansfield City Schools, will host a one-day professional development workshop on arts integration for primary, intermediate, and middle grades educators (most beneficial for those teaching students in grades K-8), and administrators on Wednesday, August 2, 2022, at the Renaissance’s Theatre 166 venue. The workshop is an in-person session and will be led by teaching artist, music educator, and Arts Integration Specialist Emily Smith. The registration fee of $125 for the workshop has been covered for all participants through the generous support of the Ohio Arts Council and Charles P. Hahn, CFP, and the Key Bank Foundation.

Teaching Artist and educator Emily Smith will lead teachers in her interactive workshop, Listening to Comprehend: Deepening Understandings Through Music.  Instrumental music plays a crucial role in providing context, eliciting feelings and creating strong memories in movies, plays, celebrations, and cultural events. However, when it comes to understanding exactly how music communicates with us, we (and our students) can remain mystified. Attendees will explore the ways in which we can tap into the power of listening and decoding music in order to help students construct and demonstrate understandings of vocabulary and various curriculum concepts. Participating in this workshop provides educators with the opportunity  to learn how to ignite deep critical thinking while sharpening their own listening skills.The professional development workshop will be presented from 8:30 am until 12:30 PM. Registration is available at:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/listening-to-comprehend-pd-workshop-for-teachers-featuring-emily-smith-tickets-676702885547  Contact hour verification for CEUs is available for participants. For more information, call 419-522-2726 ext. 212 or email [email protected].

About Our Teaching Artist

Emily Smith is a music educator and arts integration specialist. She received her Bachelor of Music Education from Shenandoah Conservatory, where she also studied for a Masters in Choral Conducting. Emily has worked as a Pre-K through 5th-grade general music teacher at the John F. Kennedy Center Changing Education Through the Arts School in Alexandria, VA, where she also served as the arts integration coordinator. During this time, Emily received multiple certificates of study in Arts Integration from the Kennedy Center.

In addition to her public school experience, Emily has worked as a teaching artist and Program Director for the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra’s El Sistema-inspired education program, Sympatico. She continues to work closely with other El Sistema USA programs across the country, collaborating and consulting on music-for-social-change projects. Through this work, she focuses on integrating music composition with current and social events.

As a music educator, Emily has led professional development engagements at numerous universities, as well as the LA Philharmonic’s “Take a Stand” festival and the El Sistema USA National Symposium. She is an enthusiastic collaborator and is just as excited to learn as she is to teach.

Our Sponsors

Ohio Arts Council
Charles P. Hahn, CFP
KeyBank Foundation

Meals Provided by Doc's Deli