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MindUP for Music 2023

Taking note of mindfulness
New York Teacher
MindUp for Music
Jonathan Fickies

The Mozart for Munchkins ensemble marches into Shanker Hall to kick off the MindUp for Music workshop.

A roomful of educators, eyes closed, breathe in time to the sound of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 — one of many music-based mindfulness techniques learned in a MindUP for Music workshop at UFT headquarters on May 16. This school year, 60 schools are piloting MindUp’s evidence-based social-emotional learning curriculum, thanks to a partnership between the union and the organization. This workshop, led by musicians and educators from Mozart for Munchkins, was part of the MindUP training and support available to a broader cross-section of UFT members. “Kids relate to music,” said Debbie Fiallo, a 3rd-grade teacher at PS 100 in Queens. “Whether a student is in special education, an English language learner and/or in a gifted program, music is a common thread.” UFT Vice President for Education Mary Vaccaro, who spearheaded the partnership, said MindUP is a “meaningful way for the union to provide social-emotional support” to students after COVID-19.

Related Topics: MindUp, Mindfulness