[Newark, NJ, June 19, 2019] Katherine Brodhead, a music teacher of Rafael Hernandez School, has been chosen to receive the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award. The award was presented at the 2019 Symposium on Music in Schools at the Yale School of Music in New Haven, Conn., in June. Ms. Brodhead is one of just five exemplary music educators and five exemplary teaching artists from across the country chosen to receive the award and give their input during the symposium.

“We are very proud of this tremendous honor bestowed on Ms. Brodhead,” said Superintendent Roger Leon. “Through her teaching, Ms. Brodhead has touched the lives of so many children and used music as a way to educate, inform and inspire.”

Held every two years, the Symposium on Music in Schools is a gathering of policy leaders and practitioners from across the country to discuss topics relating to music education in public schools. The topic of this year’s symposium is the preparation of music educators and teaching artists in higher education with the goal of developing a set of principles by which higher education can prepare music educators and teaching artists who are well-equipped to teach preK-12 students in twenty-first-century music ecosystems.

Ms. Brodhead will join a team of national organization leaders, music education professors, school of music leadership, and experts in teaching artistry and public policy. The symposium will be structured as a “think-tank,” in which participants will work in large and small groups to develop the set of principles for national dissemination.

Honoree and teacher Ms. Brodhead said, “This speaks to the work that so many passionate educators and local organizations are doing in our city – Newark is a dynamic community with numerous arts resources, including NJPAC, the NJ Symphony Orchestra, the Newark Arts Education Roundtable, VH1 Save The Music, Newark Arts, and more.  These partnerships, as well as support from district administrators, are creating an environment where both teachers and students can grow and thrive.  I am honored to be a part of the conversation and a representative of our schools.  I hope to take what I’ve learned at the Symposium, as well as new connections to arts organizations, back to Newark in order to provide more opportunities for our students.”

Ms. Brodhead was nominated for the award by the National Association for Music Education and the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, who identified her as an exemplary music educator who can bring valuable expertise and perspective to the symposium.

Principal Natasha Pared said, “Congratulations to Ms. Brodhead for the work she does on behalf of our students.”

Save The Music Foundation is a New York 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps kids, schools, and communities realize their full potential through the power of making music. Founded in 1997, Save The Music partners with school districts and raises funds to restore music programs in public schools. Since inception, we have donated over $56 million worth of new musical instruments to over 2,100 U.S. schools in 261 school districts around the country– impacting the lives of millions of students. Learn more about us and our efforts at www.savethemusic.org.