Music is expensive. For some families, financial barriers, resources and time constraints are limiting factors in students' participation in school music. This session will help teachers understand low-income situations and present strategies and ideas to help with teaching, supporting, and advocating for students from high need situations. Conversations on common teaching scenarios and locating and asking for resources will take place during this session.
Don Stinson
- Biographical Information
Don Stinson is the author of High Needs, Monumental
Successes: Understanding: Teaching Music to Low-Income and Underserved
Students, available from GIA Publications. As a former low-income student
teaching at his alma mater, Don strives to advocate for students from all
socio-economic backgrounds. Don is the
director of bands at Joliet Central High School in Joliet, IL, only the fifth
director in the band’s 111-year history. He has the distinct pleasure of
leading a program that serves a diverse population in socioeconomic status and
cultural backgrounds. The band has appeared several times at prestigious state
and national festivals. In 2021, the Midwest Clinic invited the band for a
special 75th anniversary performance. Don has received several
recognitions, including the Yale University Educator Award, citations of
excellence from the National Band Association, and the Chicagoland Outstanding
Music Educator Award. He is a 2021 Yamaha’s 40 Under 40 Music Educator and a
recipient of the Dr. William P. Foster Project Community Development Award. He
is a member of the Phi Beta Mu International Bandmaster’s Fraternity, the
National Band Association, the American School Band Directors Association, and
the Illinois Music Educators Association. He is a National Board Certified
Teacher. Don hosts the music education podcast The Bandmasters Podcast. Don is
the president of Legacy Fine Arts Inc. NFP, a non-profit that provides music
mentoring and programs for underserved youth. You can find Don's writings and
recordings on the Yamaha Education Suite or at www.donstinson.net.