ESM-Texaco institute draws educators

T eams of educational and cultural leaders from five U.S. communities gathered at the Eastman School recently for the first-ever Texaco-Eastman Music Leadership Institute to kick off model music-education initiatives within their communities. The Texaco Foundation is supporting each project for three years with grants totaling $500,000 through TEMPO (Texaco-Eastman Music Partnership Opportunities), a grant program that supports effective community-based music education initiatives that advance educational reform. Representatives from schools in Atlanta; Midland, Texas; Baltimore; Glendale, Ariz.; and White Plains, N.Y., participated in the conference.

At the institute, participants focused on the techniques and content of effective school-community collaborations. The grant recipients shared strengths and challenges of their programs and investigated best practices in early childhood education, evaluation, and assessment. The overarching goal of educational reform and the need to improve access to quality music education was emphasized throughout the institute.

ESM faculty work as consultants to Texaco in helping to choose the grant recipients. The faculty also gave many of the presentations at the institute and will continue to help the grantees implement their programs.

Opening the conference, Texaco Foundation President Anne Dowling said, "As a company committed to technological excellence, Texaco is vitally interested in the educational achievement of young children and the role that music plays in their development. We believe that music and the arts help children grow and learn in multiple ways, providing a vital component to the education of our nation's children."

ESM Director James Undercofler added, "We are keenly interested in helping these grant recipients succeed. Their innovative music education initiatives depend on strong community partnerships, and Eastman has been leading the way in this area in recent years."