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Welcome to the latest American Music Conference news update. Our goal is to inform you and your staff on the latest trends, research, education, and advocacy to help you in your music education activities. We will send additional updates from time to time. Please submit comments or questions to joel@amc-music.org. For more information please visit the AMC web site at amc-music.org.

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Contents

60 Minutes Spotlights Successful Music Program

Sesame Street Parents magazine breaks the news!

VH1/Nicolodeon Spotlight 32 years of Sesame Street Musical Moments

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60 Minutes Spotlights Successful Music Program

This past Sunday, "60 Minutes" featured a stunning segment related to the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra. This movement in Venezuela was started by a music educator named Dr. Breu who is a powerful advocate about the relationship between music and personal development, learning, how powerful it is for kids, etc. He has succeeded in launching a national movement of music instruction and performance that now reaches some 110,000 kids in 177 different youth orchestras throughout the country (122 for teens and 55 for younger kids). It is a national performance/instruction system; kids move up to better orchestras as they improve their playing. There is a particular emphasis on kids with disabilities, abandoned kids, poor kids, and kids otherwise at risk. About 220,000 kids have moved through the system to date. Dr. Breu said in the interview that he views his orchestras as "instruments of social change." He sees them as "part of the soul and spirit of Venezuela." He also said he wants to work to turn what he is doing into a world-wide movement. Anyone interested in transcripts can visit the 60 Minutes website and get the details on how to order.

http://cbsnews.com/now/section/0,1636,3415-412,00.shtml

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Sesame Street Parents magazine breaks the news!

The new issue of Sesame Street Parents Magazine previews the upcoming 32nd season featuring an unprecedented two-year commitment to helping kids learn through music and the arts.

In a recent letter to the music trade press, Sandra Kilpatrick Jordan Project Director, Sesame Street Music Works described some of the exciting details of the upcoming historic music-making initiative.

"Sesame Workshop, makers of the award-winning educational television series Sesame Street, and NAMM-International Music Products Association, established an historic partnership in February 2000. A two-day symposium held in New York City was designed to help us learn more about the importance of active participation with music in the formative years of life. Musicians, early childhood experts, music educators and scientists worked with our creative and educational teams to create the conceptual groundwork and develop educational goals for a cutting-edge music outreach initiative, Sesame Street Music Works. Beginning in 2001, we plan for this educational, multiple media initiative to reach millions of children, parents, caregivers and educators. Using the powerful appeal, trust and educational value of Sesame Street across media components, Sesame Street Music Works will help children to make music, help parents and educators understand the role of music in a child1s development, and enhance our everyday opportunities to use music to help children learn. Sesame Street Music Works is the core of a company-wide focus on music and the arts. It was developed in response to the mounting research that links early engagement in active music making with a child1s capacity to learn and grow and corresponds with a curriculum focus on music and art during the 32nd and 33rd seasons of Sesame Street, which begin airing in January 2001. Sesame Street Music Works1 multiple media components will be created in English and Spanish and be designed to have international appeal for later versions for other cultures and languages in order to further celebrate the universal language of music. We are proud to partner with NAMM and the entire music products industry on this international public service initiative. Look for more detailed information about the initiative to be announced during this January1s NAMM Show in Anaheim."

Please stay tuned for more exciting details shortly!

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VH1/Nicolodeon Spotlight 32 years of Sesame Street Musical Moments

VH1 Presents "Greatest Music Moments: Sesame Street Music A to Z" November 21st at 8:00 P.M. (ET/PT) Please check your local listings for exact date and time in your area.

As part of the VH1 Save The Music campaign, VH1 is teaming up with Noggin to present "Greatest TV Moments: Sesame Street Music A-Z," a one-hour special featuring the most memorable musical moments from three decades of "Sesame Street".

This program will highlight songs from musical genres from opera to country, reggae to pop, all featured on "Sesame Street" during the program's three decades of providing educational programming. The diverse array of artists appearing on "Sesame Street" including Lena Horne, Billie Joel, Itzak Pearlman, Garth Brooks, Menudo/Ricky Martin, the Carpenters, Gloria Estefan, Goo Goo Dolls, Hootie and the Blowfish, Johnny Cash, Little Richard, Melissa Etheridge, N'Sync, REM, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder and Patti LaBelle, exposed children and their parents to a wide range of musical styles while simultaneously teaching children their "ABC's."

Watch for a sneak preview of the Sesame Street "Music Works" logo and then log on to the AMC website (www.amc-music.org) to get a look at what is in store for children all over the world as this historic musical initiative rolls out.

VH1 and Noggin, in collaboration with MENC-The National Association of Music Education have created a companion set of lesson plans for use by teachers. Log onto VH1musicstudio.com to view the lessons.