“Music education is imperative for anyone to grow up complete.” —Paul Harvey
Founded in 1995, Music in the Schools Foundation (MIS) is dedicated to inspiring children and youth to participate in music as a fundamental part of their education. At no cost to the district or to the students, MIS provides music instruction in Pre-K through 8th grade in East Palo Alto, East Menlo Park, and starting in the Fall of 2022, Redwood City.
MIS has provided mentor teachers to the Ravenswood Middle School band directors who had no previous experience teaching strings. MIS mentorship not only ensures their success teaching strings, but also builds a strong orchestra program, preparing students to participate in the high school orchestra. MIS will continue to provide a string/chorus mentor to the Ravenswood City School District (RCSD) Middle School music instructor whose strength is in band. The mentor can give attention to students needing extra help. We also offer an after-school strings class to enhance and reinforce learning.
In addition, MIS offers after-school programs including string ensemble with violin, viola, and cello and after-school international folk dancing. These programs provide additional performance opportunities for our students. Our teachers offer inspiring instruction in a supportive environment, where students are encouraged to experience the joy of music while developing music literacy. A strong music program supports academic success and Music in the Schools Foundation works tirelessly to help students achieve that success.
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Our Mission
Music In the Schools Foundation, through music literacy and achievement, promotes the intellectual, social and cultural development of underserved students in schools located in East Palo Alto, East Menlo Park, and Redwood City. We seek to bring our programs to underserved communities on the Peninsula and in the South Bay.
Our Program Director
In August 2015, Kyle Sofman joined MIS as Program Director. Kyle is a champion of the arts in schools and believes it should be an integral part of the instructional day, not just an extra curricular activity. She advocates for equal access to music education and the arts. Kyle is passionate about working in underserved communities and works to reach as many students as possible. She knows that every child can learn and that music provides a unique mode of expression not possible in other subjects.
It is Kyle’s hope that the music program at MIS will provide students with a solid foundation in musical skills, but also a love of music that goes beyond the classroom. Having taught music in the Bay Area since 1996, she is supportive and encouraging of teachers. She strives to foster a strong sense of community, helping teachers feel connected to each other and to the schools where they teach.
Outside of teaching, Kyle has performed with the Peninsula Women’s Chorus where she was the section leader for the 1st Sopranos, managed volunteers, and served on the Board of Directors. She performs in recitals and appears as a soloist with area choirs.
She received a Bachelor’s of Music Education at Oberlin College and a Masters in Music Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In 2015, she received her Certificate in Nonprofit Management from San Francisco State.
International Folk Dance Teacher Music Specialist Michel Hardbarger’s pre-school classes at the Izzi@Ravenswood are engaging and fun. She routinely incorporates body movement, basic rhythm instruments, and singing into her classes. Michel’s energetic teaching is strongly influenced by Orff techniques with hands-on learning. Classroom teachers affirm that Michel’s music classes are one of the special times of the week for their students, and they’re grateful that MIS provides this educational experience for their students. In the fall of 2018, Michel began teaching International Folk Dance at Los Robles Magnet Academy. In the fall of 2019, the program expanded to include Willow Oaks Elementary KIPP Valiant, and is currently at East Palo Alto Charter School (EPACS) and Taft Elementary School in Redwood City. She brings her love of dancing to students in grades 2-8.
During her tenure at MIS, at the request of her beloved students, Michel led a ukulele club for 4-5th graders at Willow Oaks and has taught preschool music and general music to students in Kindergarten, first, and second grade at Willow Oaks and Belle Haven Elementary School.
Strings teacher Dr. Yifan Tang (Aubrey) is a highly accomplished recitalist, chamber performer, orchestra musician, and violin/viola educator throughout the United States and China. Ms. Tang earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance from Texas Tech University, where she served as a teaching assistant at TTU Symphony Orchestra. With a Master of Music in Violin Performance from California State University, Northridge, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from Shanghai Normal University.
Dr. Tang is an experienced violin and viola instructor. She has over 10 years of teaching experience in studios, school districts, and orchestras. Ms. Tang has also showcased her talent as a principal violinist in Moonlight Musical Company and orchestras such as the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra and the Lubbock Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Tang’s remarkable talent and commitment to excellence have garnered her numerous awards and honors. She received the esteemed “Independent Artist ARPA Grant” from the Lubbock Cultural Arts Foundation, recognizing her outstanding contributions to the arts. Furthermore, Dr. Tang was honored with the “2018 Top 10 California Contributors to Education”.
Carina Kahane General music and Chorus Bio coming soon!
Olivia Adolph Recorder and Chorus Bio coming soon!
Board of Directors
- Virginia Fruchterman Chair
- Jon Ellis Treasurer
- David Jones Secretary
- Nancy Coffee
- Patricia Pietrzyk
Advisory Board
- Signe Boyer
- Advisory Board
- Marco Chavez
- Nancy Fiene
- Arturo Flores
- Rufina Gorin
- Kiyomi Masatani
- Benjamin Simon
Music In The Schools 