Ms. Nicole DeGuire, Director of Orchestras at Fishers High School, recently joined us on the Director Spotlight. Today, she offers a special collaborative event the Fishers performing arts department puts on every year. We hope you enjoy this installment of the spotlight!
“I believe arts education in music, theater, dance, and the visual arts is one of the most creative ways we have to find the gold that is buried just beneath the surface. They (children) have an enthusiasm for life a spark of creativity, and vivid imaginations that need training – training that prepares them to become confident young men and women.” ~ Richard W. Riley, Former US Secretary of Education
“To be the next great inventor of something we haven’t dreamed of yet, you need to have creative skills. Music really fosters those creative skills.” ~ Illinois Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon
Ms. Nicole DeGuire, Director of Orchestras at Fishers High School, recently joined us on the Director Spotlight. Today, she reminds us to remember why we do what we do. We hope you enjoy this installment of the spotlight!
“Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them – a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.” ~ Gerald Ford, Former President of the United States
“Whoever has skill in music is of good temperament and fitted for all things. We must teach music in schools.” ~ Martin Luther
For today’s installment of the Director Spotlight, we interviewed Ms. Nicole DeGuire, Director of Orchestras at Fishers High School. Today, she gives some background on her path to teaching at Fishers and the scope of her program. She also talks about how she approaches chamber groups within her program. We hope you enjoy this edition of the Director Spotlight with Ms. Nicole DeGuire.
According to a German Institute for Economic Research study, teens who take music lessons outside of school score significantly higher in terms of cognitive skills, have better grades, and are more conscientious and ambitious than their peers. ~ Hille, Al, Schupp, J., (2013), “How Learning a Musical Instrument Affects the Development of Skills,” SOEPpapers: The German Socio-Economic Panel at DIW Berlin
For our final installment on the Director Spotlight for the month, we offer you the full interview with Mr. Kevin Cottrill of Seymour High School. We hope you enjoy this installment of the spotlight!
“The creative arts are the measure and reflection of our civilization. They offer many children an opportunity to see life with a larger perspective…The moral values we treasure are reflected in the beauty and truth that is emotionally transmitted through the arts. The arts say something about us to future generations.” ~ Ann P. Kahn, Former President of The National PTA
“In my own philanthropy and business endeavors, I have seen the critical role that the arts play in stimulating creativity and in developing vital communities….the arts have a crucial impact on our economy and are an important catalyst for learning, discovery, and achievement in our country.” ~ Paul G. Allen, Co-Founder, Microsoft
Mr. Kevin Cottrill recently joined us on the Director Spotlight. Today, he talks with us about his approach to staying sharp as a director and what he does to improve his skills. We hope you enjoy this segment from the Director Spotlight.
“The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create.” ~ Barack Obama
The College Entrance Examination Board found that students involved in public school music programs scored 107 points higher on the SAT’s than students with no participation. ~ Profiles of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, The College Board, compiled by the Music Educators National Conference (2002)
Mr. Kevin Cottrill recently joined us on the Director Spotlight. In today’s segment, he talks with us about his approach to connecting with kids and why his relationship with his administration influences those student connections. We hope you enjoy this segment from the Director Spotlight.
“We need people who think with the creative side of their brains-people who have played in a band, who have painted…it enhances symbiotic thinking capabilities, not always thinking in the same paradigm, learning how to kick-start a new idea, or how to get a job done better, less expensively.” ~ Annette Byrd, GlaxoSmithKline
The skills gained through sequential music instruction, including discipline and the ability to analyze, solve problems, communicate and work cooperatively, are vital for success in the 21st century workplace. ~ U.S. House of Representatives, Concurrent Resolution 355, March 6, 2006
Mr. Kevin Cottrill, Director of Bands at Seymour High School recently joined us on the Director Spotlight. Today, Kevin talks about his path to Seymour and how he manages his program to keep all the different aspects of his program moving forward. We hope you enjoy this installment of the spotlight!
Teens feel that playing music teaches self discipline. ~ Shehan Campbell, Patricia. Adolescents’ Expressed Meanings of Music In and Out of School
Two-thirds (66%) of Americans say that music education prepares someone to manage the tasks of their job more successfully. ~ The Harris Poll®, July 2014
