Ms. Vaillant-Yanes responded to these questions in e-mail:

What is your teaching background?
I have taught music to students from pre-kindergarten to grade 12. My formal teaching career began in Union City, New Jersey, and I later taught in both private and public schools in Newark, Bayonne, and Jersey City. In 1990, I settled in Florida, and began teaching music and ballet in an after-school program. I currently teach music to students in grades kindergarten through five at Charles D. Wyche, Jr. Elementary School in Miami.

What was your experience with instructional technology leading up to participation in the Intel® Teach Program?
When I began teaching in Miami-Dade County Public Schools in 1994, I had a co-worker who dragged me to every music technology workshop imaginable. That was my introduction to technology in education. I began experimenting with music literacy software, including ear training and sequencing applications. I didn't have access to all of this at first, but I tried to stay up to date with what was becoming available in music education. Later I began using music literacy software with my students. They just couldn't wait to get to the computer and either work by themselves or lead the class through lessons using the TV viewer.

What was it like taking the Intel® Teach Program?
At first I wondered if I would be able to implement the course project goals with a music lesson. Then I thought, of course I can. I'll develop a thematic unit in music. So I was off. I feel confident that I can now implement this type of lesson anywhere the music takes me and implement technology into a unit of study in music or any other content area.

Why did you choose to develop the unit you did ("Music of the Westward Expansion")?
I was simply staring at my computer when it hit me! At first I asked myself: What do I really want students to learn about? How can I coordinate music with their other studies? I teach music literacy, history, composers, movement, and creativity, and incorporate writing into the curriculum. What could I get them to learn by researching on their own? I remembered one of our grade levels doing a unit on the Westward Expansion and I recalled that there's is a wealth of music from that historical period that is still with us today. So, using the district curriculum goals as a guide, I began my quest into the life and times of the settlers moving West. I chose three songs the students could analyze musically, research the history of, interpret from a pioneer's perspective, and create their own lyrics for to explain more about the times. Finally, kids could dress in period costume and perform the songs with a multimedia backdrop during a culminating concert.

What benefit does your technology training bring to your students?
I can help students can go a step further within the subject area. I can guide them to do effective research on their own or work as teams to gather information to expand on a unit of study. They can learn how to build and present their final product in a professional manner. This helps students meet their potential. Creativity also holds a special place here—the technology really helps kids express themselves.

Do you do a lot of technology-supported projects with your students? Can you briefly describe a few?
We have done projects in the past looking into the historical aspect of a song or a people. For example, last year we did a unit on Australia where students learned about the didgeridoo and the kookaburra, and they actually went online to find background on the bird and hear the laughing sound it makes. They learned some Aussie language and reviewed the history of the Olympics, too. Another project a few years ago was done with music and nature where the music used actual sounds in nature from Yellowstone National Park. Students identified animal sounds, researched one of the animals of their choosing, used pictures drawn or cut out, and made their own music folder for the project. I have also used online student evaluations in music where the student can e-mail their quiz answers to me.

Next steps: Where do you see technology fitting in to your teaching and your students' learning in the future?
My situation is different. I don't have a classroom now or my own computers. I travel from classroom to classroom, and not every room is equipped the same. Much time is spent traveling and getting prepared for each different grade level. I get to see each class only one hour a week, so planning takes on a whole new meaning when preparing a new unit of study. A thematic unit can be difficult to teach in my current situation. It's workable, but it takes patience and flexibility! I would hope to see myself one day in my own music suite or classroom where I have full access to music software, including a music encyclopedia application where students work on different research tasks. Opera excerpts are easily downloaded from the Internet for students to hear and analyze, and it would be nice to have ready access to those as well.  


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