Concepts indigenous both to music and other core curricula can become the cornerstone of the music-infused interdisciplinary curriculum that predicts improvement in literacy skills, especially for underserved and challenged children in our public schools.

Students at Thornhill Elementary in Oakland get a guest visit from violin maker Frank Thomas through the MILE program in preparation for their visit to the Oakland East Bay Symphony Orchestra.

Music in Schools Today (MuST) is collaborating with the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) to develop a highly scalable professional development model. In July of 2005, MuST received a $40,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts to pilot this program in Oakland. Visit the MILE webpage on the OUSD website, and watch the video of this program.

Music Integrated Literacy Enhancement (MILE) utilizes music and classroom teachers to ensure that all children first through fourth grade receive instruction in literacy and math through music. Music teachers co-teach with classroom teachers kindergarten through fifth grade sequential music instruction, language literacy, math literacy and will prepare students for band and orchestra in the fourth and fifth grade. Research-based curricular and assessment practices first developed by Dr. Scripp at the New England Conservatory of Music will initially be implemented in six schools. Project outcomes include a final report on the efficacy of the MILE program on literacy in language and math, as well as program and professional development materials suitable for further dissemination and replication.

This program is designed to ensure the survival of music education at a critical juncture for the OUSD, as it is forced to cut millions from the budget. MILE will actually improve access for all students to a sequential music education. Our goal is to help educators in the arts and academic subject areas rethink the role of music in literacy skill development. All elementary, middle and high schools will have music instruction available. Schools with site funds can upgrade program to include more instrumental music.

Teachers will implement a comprehensive range of program rubrics and valid and reliable data collection instruments and procedures. Research-based curricular and assessment practices first developed by Dr. Scripp at the New England Conservatory and its laboratory charter school will be implemented. Project outcomes include a final report on the efficacy of the MILE program on literacy in language and math, as well as program materials and professional development program suitable for further dissemination and replication.

MuST has formed a collaboration with CitySpan Technologies, which has developed a database in use nationally. CitySpan has dedicated a website to MuST so that we may have a central place to record and review our research. Once we have worked out what is effective in standardization, we plan to offer this enhanced database to arts organizations, school districts and others.

In addition, Dr. Scripp will publish results from this work in NEC’s Journal for Learning Through Music as part of its mission to disseminate research-based music-integrated programs. Music-in-Education National Consortium (MIENC) will promote a new MIENC Laboratory School Network to help disseminate the findings from this project. The network will grow as an active organization of schools dedicated to providing documented evidence of art learning based program development and its impact on children and youth.