Sheila Woodward
Title: Assistant Professor, Music Education
Specialty: Music education (general), early childhood music education, arts for court-adjudicated youth, community arts programs.
Contact Information:
USF College of Visual and Performing Arts
Phone: (813) 974-0446
E-mail this USF Collaborative Partner
Details:
Topics of expertise:
Music education (general), early childhood music education, arts for court-adjudicated youth, community arts programs.
Educational and professional background:
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Cape Town, South Africa. Prior to her appointment as assistant professor at the University of South Florida, she taught at the University of West Cape, South Africa. She has published her research worldwide. A native of South Africa, Woodward did volunteer work in service training for teachers of underprivileged schools and chaired several multicultural community music festivals. She also directed community outreach programs in Cape Town. She is a past president of Early Childhood Music Education Commission for the International Society for Music Education.
What was your Collaborative grant and what did you learn from it?
“My first project was with court-adjudicated youth in Cape Town, South Africa and in Tampa. It confirmed for me how receptive youth are to music and how eagerly they grab this opportunity with both hands. Teachers could see significant difference and how general students behavior responded; in how quickly they learned; and in how music became an integral part of their lives. I was impressed with the positive influences on the children’s lives when they performed and with the increase in their self-esteem and sense of achievement. We are now part of the official diversion programs for adjudicated youth in South Africa and the Diversion into Music Education (DIME) project in Tampa is now housed at the University Area Community Center. I’ve also learned how valuable it is to allow USF students to experience community outreach.”
Are you working on other grants?
“I’m working on a Collaborative Grant to train staff at early learning centers to integrate music on a daily basis. USF students demonstrate model sessions and mentor the children’s teachers. Our aim is to leave skills and resources behind to teachers to implement music into the curriculum on a long-term basis.”
What have you learned from your research that you wish every professional knew?
“The value and richness that is to be gained through working with the community. The children gave me so much that I grew to intensely love them. You can’t outgive them. The more you give, the more you receive from them. The real value is in seeing young people regain their feelings of self-worth in seeing their pride in the skills they achieve, and in seeing their joy.”
What have you learned from your research that you wish every student knew?
“Take every appointment to do volunteer work and get out into the community. It’s in the informal arenas that students can get in touch with the real world in which children live.”
What do you think is the biggest issue in your field right now?
“There needs to be more structures to encourage faculty and students to get involved with community music programs with music. The need is for community collaboration to be build into formal institutions’ policies and structures. The desire is there but assistance with achieving long-term economic support is lacking.” General comment about music education and it’s role in children’s lives: “There is a need for understanding that music is far more than entertainment. We can give children skills in music and the arts that will enrich them in manifold ways. The musical skills they develop can be a source for healthy activity and enjoyment.”
