New York, NY (Top40 Charts / Live Music Tutor) Live
Music Tutor, an online music platform that streams music lessons between instructors and students around the world, today announced the completion of a successful collaboration with the School District of Osceola County, Florida.
Launched in March 2016, the three-month pilot program strategically targeted five Osceola County schools to assess the effectiveness of Live
Music Tutor as a supplemental resource for K-12 music education. During the program, Live
Music Tutor provided online, interactive master classes and individual lessons to students in the string programs at Gateway High School, Parkway Middle School, Boggy Creek Elementary School, Narcoossee Middle School and Harmony High School.
Describing the pilot program as "a win-win all the way around," Debbie Fahmie, Fine & Performing Arts Resource Specialist for the district, explained, "What makes Live
Music Tutor an ideal resource is that the instructors will totally customize a lesson to the needs of the music teacher and students. Every school and music teacher has different needs, and Live
Music Tutor is able to accommodate that with their wide range of experts and their customized programming." According to Fahmie, the program also provided valuable professional development for the music teachers, a benefit that will transfer over to their classrooms.
Live
Music Tutor cofounder Ted Gee also expressed excitement over the success of the collaboration. "We hoped to make a significant impact on the district's music programs, and the results of the pilot exceeded our expectations," said Gee. He noted that with 21 string programs and only four specialized string teachers, the Osceola School District's music education program reflects the instructional challenges of K-12 music programs nationwide, which have been significantly affected by declines in music education funding.
According to Gee, the success of this pilot program takes on added significance in light of the recent passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). "For the first time, federal law recognizes the cognitive and social benefits of music education by defining a well-rounded education as one that includes music," said Gee. "Given that school districts will need to revitalize their programs to meet this new requirement for music education, Live
Music Tutor's success as a top-quality, cost-effective resource for completely customizable supplemental instruction could be the roadmap to a long-term solution for helping school districts meet that mandate and improve students' overall performance," he said. "Our flexible and convenient program is also Title I, Title II and Title IV friendly, an added benefit to schools during the implementation of the new ESSA law since they will still be underfunded," Gee noted.
About Live
Music Tutor: Founded in 2011, Live
Music Tutor is the world's first complete online music education streaming platform. Dedicated to providing a world-class curriculum of live, customized, interactive music lessons to students of all ages and skill levels, Live
Music Tutor channels the power of music via robust Web technology to transform individuals and educational systems. For more information, visit https://www.livemusictutor.com/.
About the School District of Osceola County: For more information about The School District of Osceola County, visit www.osceolaschools.net/.
