Events
WCU Professor of Psychology and REACH Co-Director Ellie Brown (left) with (left to right) Celia Wu-Hacohen (WCU REACH staff), Ekaterini Nakos (WCU Alum ‘24), and Nasserra Robinson (WCU PsyD student) present a research poster about the impact of yoga/mindfulness and dance on levels of the stress hormone cortisol for children in Head Start preschool.
From left to right, REACH Investigators, Steven Holochwost (CUNY's Lehman College), Dennie Wolf (WolfBrown), and Ellie Brown (WCU) stand with REACH TWG members Barbara Wong (William Penn) Frank Machos (School District of Philadelphia) and Angela Guerriero (WCU) at the end of the convening.
From left to right, Frank Machos, Joanna Herrero Stamper, Isabella Capera (WCU MS student), Padmaja Charya (WCU PsyD student), and Andrés González speak on a panel about the impact of music and arts for children, families, and communities.
Singer and composer Allison Tartalia, who has helped to implement Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project in Philadelphia, performs just after lunch, sharing a Lullaby she composed with REACH workshop participants earlier in the day.
Ellie Brown (WCU) stands with Tarrell Davis, Executive Director of Early Childhood Programs at Settlement Music School- the partner for the REACH keystone study of the arts and child social-emotional development.
FAQs
Event Logistics
When and where is the REACH convening?
The REACH Convening will take place Tuesday, April 8 from 9am-3pm at Settlement Music School's Mary Louise Curtis Branch at 416 Queen St, Philadelphia, PA 19147.
Who should attend the REACH convening?
The audience will include researchers, practitioners, policymakers, students, parents, and other community members interested in how music and arts programs might promote health and wellbeing for children, families, and communities.
When should I register?
The deadline for registration is March 21. If you know you will attend, please register now, as that will be helpful to our planning.
Is there a cost to attend?
There is a $50 fee to attend, with a reduced rate of $25 for students, practitioners, and parents of child music and arts participants. A limited number of scholarships (subsidized participation) will be provided upon request in the registration form. Those who apply for scholarships by March 14 will be notified of decisions by March 18.
Will the event be live streamed?
The REACH convening will not be livestreamed. Select sessions may be posted in an archive and we hope to publish portions of the conference proceedings.
What is the dress code for the event?
Attire for the REACH Convening generally will be business casual, but this is not rigid--we want participants to be comfortable. In particular, comfortable shoes may be helpful for the Kaleidoscope tour and/or Lullaby and PoP interactive workshops.
What should I bring to the event?
If you marked that you would eat the lunch provided, then you can just bring yourself, your experiences, your ideas, and your imagination. A handheld device or pen and paper for taking notes is optional. If you marked that you prefer to bring your own lunch, please bring something that does not require refrigeration or cooking/microwaving.
How should I prepare?
Those accepted to present posters have received instructions about preparing these. For other participants, no specific preparation is needed, but we encourage you to arrive ready to engage in discussion around the impact of music and arts for children, families, teachers, schools, and communities.
Additional questions?
Email us: reach@wcupa.edu.
Call for Papers, Proposals, and Posters
Can I present at the REACH convening?
Researchers and practitioners who would like to share their work related to early childhood music, arts, and education issues are invited to submit proposals for the poster session. Poster abstracts should be submitted when registering for the convening. They should describe research motivation and specific aims, method, results, and implications (250 words or less). Those who submit poster proposals by March 14 will be notified of acceptance decisions by March 18.
Instructions for those who have been accepted to present posters are as follows:
Presenters will be responsible for printing their own posters.
The easels we have available for poster display can accommodate posters up to 3 feet tall and 4 feet wide. The easels can display either foam boards or paper posters that can be clipped to the boards. We will not have power outlets by the posters, but the building does have internet access if you are interested in supplementing your poster with additional information from a laptop or handheld electronic device.
Please plan to arrive at Settlement by 8:30am April 8, and to set up your poster by 8:45am so that it may be on display as other participants arrive. The official poster session will be from 12-1pm during the lunch hour, and we ask that either you or a co-author stand or sit by your poster for as much of that block as possible to talk with participants who will be circulating and wanting to hear more about the posters during that time. At 2:30pm there will be closing remarks and a reception, and we ask that you or a co-author take your poster down just following that, around 3pm.
Additional questions?
Email us: reach@wcupa.edu
Press Inquiries
Please refer all press inquiries to reach@wcupa.edu
*This NEA Research Lab is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts (Award #: 1879148-38-C-21). The opinions expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not represent the views of the National Endowment for the Arts. The National Endowment for the Arts does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information included in this material and is not responsible for any consequence of its use.