MINDY PETERSON, NCTM

Photo by Uwe Conrad on Unsplash

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is both an incredible in-person experience AND an education and outreach hub that reaches beyond its onsite visitors. We discuss the Taylor Swift Education Center, innovative resources available to parents and educators everywhere, and music’s ability to foster connection and cultural awareness.

Guest

Dr. Katherine Palmer is a master arts educator! I first met her in Dec 2020 when she was curator of education at Phoenix’s Musical Instrument Museum. This museum is absolutely incredible, and not only was I blown away by the museum, I was blown away by Dr. Palmer and her level of knowledge and the innovative programming she was implementing.

Fast forward to today: Dr. Palmer is now the senior director of education and community engagement at The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. I had the chance to reconnect with her recently and experience the CMHOFM. In addition to being a non-profit leader, museum professional, and passionate arts educator, Dr. Palmer is an ethnomusicologist and clarinetist.

Notes

We discuss:

• One thing I realized after my 2020 visit to The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, is that not all museums are static experiences where you can visit and “check the box.” There are amazing museums, like MIM and The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (CMHOFM), that are incredible in-person experiences AND education and outreach hubs that reach beyond their onsite visitors. And both of these aspects (in-person and beyond) are constantly evolving and growing; they are NOT static, one-and-done experiences.
• CMHOFM’s Taylor Swift Education Center
• CMHOFM’s innovative programming, offered for all ages
• One of these programs, Words and Music, teaches songwriting, incorporating English arts and Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
• CMHOFM’s Teacher/educator portal offers educators everywhere (including physical, virtual, and home-school settings) standards-based lesson materials, primary sources, and engaging video content. Curriculum is available for Early Learners (Pre-K/K) and beyond. Find arts-integrated resources in English Language Arts, Music, Science, Social Studies, Visual Art, STEM/STEAM, and more.
• In 2021, Katie was awarded the Gretsch Fellowship in Children’s Music at the Fred Rogers Institute where she investigated the impact of music making and listening on empathy and cultural awareness. We discuss the fantastic whitepaper Katie wrote as part of this process, titled: “Expanding the Neighborhood: Diversifying Music Making and Listening, Inspired by Fred Rogers.”

Connect/Other Resources

• The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (CMHOFM) website
• CMHOFM’s Taylor Swift Education Center
• Dr. Palmer’s website
• We mention (and highly recommend!) the Ken Burns documentary on Country Music
• CMHOFM partners with Creativets, featured in Ep. 43

Other episodes we mentioned:

• Ep. 81: MIM – A place that showcases music’s unique ability to both preserve diverse cultures AND bring those cultures together; with Katherine Palmer, DMA
• Ep. 43: Memorial Day: A combat veteran tells his story and shares how music is serving those who serve our country, with CreatiVets’ Richard Casper
• View all episodes related to Education & Community

In-Episode Promo

SHEET MUSIC DIRECT: One of my favorite places to turn for instant gratification and a dopamine hit is browsing digital sheet music at SheetMusicDirect.com. This online store is powered by music publisher Hal Leonard, and it has over a million arrangements that you can view, listen to, and download. No need to buy an entire book for that one song you love. Create your own library from selections representing all levels, instruments, genres, and holidays. Prices start at $0.99 and you can both print your purchases and access them on any device, which is really handy for those of us who travel or are trying to go paperless.

I would say this is my guilty pleasure, but it’s actually a guilt-free pleasure. There are so many brain benefits to reading music, making music, and experiencing NEW music. Instead of subscribing to another streaming platform, subscribe to Sheet Music Direct to treat yourself and your kids to real brain food and a guilt-free pleasure. Access the latest hits and yesterday’s classics at sheetmusicdirect.com.

Coda

Katie shares one of Ella Jenkins’ appearances on Fred Rogers where she does “Head and Shoulders,” and its significance to Katie. View the video here.

Closing Words

Thank you so much to Dr. Palmer for joining us today and sharing that story – you can view this scene with Ella Jenkins with the link in the episode notes. You’ll also find links to Katie’s white paper; pictures of my visit with Katie at the Museum; a transcript of this episode; and all other links from our conversation.

Pictures of my visit with Katie at the Museum

You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next time, may your life be enhanced with music.

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