(PATERSON, NJ) -- The Paterson Music Project (NJ) and Teaching Artists Training Institute (US) will collaborate to offer a two-day professional development experience for music Teaching Artists across the Northeast. The Northeast Regional Practicum will be held February 16-17, 2023 in Paterson, NJ, with afternoon visits to Paterson Music Project’s after-school program sites.

Chosen as part of a national application process to host a Regional Practicum, Paterson Music Project will partner with the Teaching Artists Training Institute (TATI) to help Teaching Artists across the Northeast, including CT, NJ, NY, PA, and MD, gain new skills and tools that directly support the continued growth of their teaching practice. “A majority of Teaching Artists working with community music programs have extensive music performance backgrounds, but don’t necessarily have experience working with students in classroom settings. Providing foundational training not only increases their confidence and success, but also builds a stronger network of support for their students,” shares Anna Barson, Managing Director of TATI.

Designed to be highly interactive, this Regional Practicum will provide hands-on workshops centered in classroom management, culturally responsive teaching, and youth voice and leadership by utilizing group discussions, problem-solving challenges, and peer networking. Practicum attendees will have the opportunity to learn from guest clinician, Alice Tsui, Founding Music Teacher at Brooklyn-based elementary school: New Bridges. Alice is a GRAMMY-nominated music educator focused on “decolonizing, ABAR (anti-bias, anti-racist), abolitionist public music education and empowering the individual and collective voices of youth through music as expression.”

In addition, Practicum participants will visit Paterson Music Project’s after-school programming to tour and engage in teaching observations, implementing some of the newly learned classroom strategies, as well as giving and receiving peer feedback on their teaching practices. “I am excited that TATI will be providing high quality teaching artist training that is tailored specifically to the needs of music for social impact programs like PMP. Teaching Artists…often face similar challenges, so having an opportunity for them to come together and work on these challenges in a very practical way is invaluable.,” says Shanna Lin, Director of Paterson Music Project.

Registration for the Northeast Regional Practicum is open now through February 1st for any music Teaching Artist working with a community music or El Sistema-inspired program in the Northeast region. For more information, visit www.tatraininginstitute.org/northeast-practicum.

Founded in 2020 by a generous grant from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, the Teaching Artists Training Institute (TATI) believes that transformational music education starts with transformational training for teachers. TATI works to equip Teaching Artists of El Sistema-inspired and community music programs, many of whom come from classical performance backgrounds, with the tools and skills needed to continue improving their teaching practice for the betterment of their students.

The Paterson Music Project (PMP) is a program of Wharton Arts that empowers children to achieve their full potential through the joyful pursuit of musical excellence. Inspired by the global El Sistema movement, PMP uses music education as a vehicle for social change in its home city of Paterson. PMP provides tuition-free musical training to students throughout Paterson after school and on weekends. Students study a primary instrument and participate in ensemble practice, instrumental sectionals, and private lessons three times a week. Students perform frequently for the community.