Volunteer

Help us, Help children

Volunteer with MFMII.
Welcome New Volunteers! Docent Training Classes are September 8 – November 19, 2008 in Fremont and Castro Valley . View our Fall Docent Training Flyer (pdf).

View our Docent Application (pdf) for becoming a music docent or learn more about becoming a member of the Board of Directors.

For those interested in becoming a docent or learning more about Music for Minors II, we invite you to visit our MFMII classrooms to experience firsthand the MFMII world of making beautiful music with children. For more information, call MFMII (510) 733-1189.

We also invite to come to our live performances, concerts and family music nights. Check out our Events Calendar for dates and times.

We're always looking for new music docents so that we might reach more children. Please contact us if you have any questions about becoming a docent.

Become a MFMII Volunteer Music Docent

Docents are recruited from the community.
Current volunteers include parents and grandparents of students, college students retired teachers, seniors, musicians and community members-at-large. Some volunteers come to us with no formal music training; others may have masters degrees or other music credentials. Volunteers who apply for training go through a screening process, including an individual interview, to determine their musical ability and experience in working with children.

Training for Music For Minors II docents takes place from mid September through mid November each year. It is a 54-hour training program offered at two sites: Fremont and Castro Valley. A team of credentialed music instructors, including the Music For Minors II Executive Director, teaches the course. Docents learn effective methods of teaching children and are given a wide exposure to available music education materials.

Docents are tested and evaluated during their training and must give a final teaching presentation to determine their ability to apply the methods and materials presented in the course. Once in the classroom, docents are monitored and supported by Music For Minors II staff.

Throughout the school year, Music For Minors II provides workshops for docents, classroom teachers, parents, and community members. These workshops focus on ways to help people integrate music into their daily lives and those of children. Each session has attracted many participants from Fremont, Newark, and Castro Valley school districts.

Docent Training

Docents pay only for their 3-credit course through the college.
They receive all materials at no cost, including a Methodology and Song Binder which includes sample lesson plans and suggestions that docents are encouraged to modify for their own classroom needs. The binders include the words and music for over 200 songs. A curriculum committee of Music For Minors II evaluates the materials and regularly makes new materials available to docents. All docents also can freely borrow specialized curriculum materials, such as CDs, tapes, books, puppets, and rhythm instruments from Music For Minors II's four resource centers, housed at Niles School, Glenmoor and Warm Springs Elementary Schools in Fremont and at Proctor School in Castro Valley for hands-on classroom use.

Earn College Credit

Docents pay only for their 3-credit course through the college.
Course requirements involve observing other docents and preparing two presentations to the class. Specialized curriculum materials, such as CDs, books, puppets, charts, and rhythm instruments from Music For Minors II's four resource centers, enables docents to enhance their curriculum.

Click here to view the docent application.