Community School of the Arts Music Together® program receives award for highest growth

GOSHEN, Ind. – The Goshen College Music Center's Community School of the Arts Music Together® program received the Center of the Year Award for Highest Growth at the annual Music Together® Directors Weekend held at Princeton, N.J., in mid-May.

"Much of our growth has been among traditionally under-served populations. This award brings attention to these efforts, which have been possible in part because of generous community support," said Brian Wiebe, director of the Music Center. "The award validates the work and determination of this community to see music become a positive influence for many families."

The award recognizes the center that has grown the most in the past year. The Goshen College Community School of the Arts program has grown over 200 percent. It serves 400-450 families per semester, and includes both preschool and parent-child offerings in more than 12 public schools. The program added the most new preschools in the 2010-11 academic year, with preschool programs accounting for 75 percent of all participants.

Music Together® delivers programming in 25 countries and over 2,000 communities worldwide. Music Together® is a research-based method for developing basic music competence in children. It accomplishes this through singing and movement to songs and chants, drawing on a wide variety of cultures and styles.

"Music Together® outreach classes brings together people of different income and education levels, old and young, people of every religion and political persuasion. They all join a circle singing the same songs, feeling the same things. They become a community of like-minded people in this one activity," said Deb Kauffman, associate director of the Music Center. "We believe that music can change the world, one child at a time."

In Music Together®, children attend a weekly 45-minute class with a parent, grandparent or other caregiver, and receive a songbook and professional CD for home listening. Classes are taught by a trained professional and are held in various locations throughout Elkhart County.

"Because music learning supports all learning, and because it is a powerful tool for bonding, it is the perfect activity for parents to do with their children in the first years of life," Kauffman said. "We would love to see music viewed as a birthright for every child in Elkhart County."

Learn more about summer 2011 class offerings in Elkhart County: www.gcmusiccenter.org/early-childhood/music-together/summer-classes/

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.