Music instructor Don DeVito, right, practices music with students at Sidney Lanier School on Tuesday, October 13, 2009.
DeVito was recently named Teacher of the Year by the Florida Council for Excptional Children.
The Florida Council for Exceptional Children has given its annual Marjorie Crick Teacher of the Year award to music teacher Don DeVito for his commitment to helping students with developmental disabilities use creative self-expression to improve their lives. "What he does with the students in the classroom is cutting edge," said the principal of his school in Alachua County. DeVito advances to the national competition, slated for April. The Gainesville Sun (Fla.) (10/13)
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http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091013/ARTICLES/910139901/-1/SPORTS03?Title=Local-music-teacher-wins-award
By Harriet Daniels
Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 4:55 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 4:55 p.m.
The students in Don DeVito’s music class at Sidney Lanier Center are world travelers, of sorts, when you factor in the various music educators they are exposed to on a regular basis through the Internet.
It is just one of the many tools DeVito, 39, uses to expose the developmentally challenged students to music and capitalize on their varying abilities.
DeVito’s efforts have earned him the 2009 Marjorie Crick Teacher of the Year award from the Florida Council for Exceptional Children.
DeVito was one of four finalists competing for the award. He was honored on Oct. 9 during the council’s state conference in Daytona Beach. DeVito will now advance to the national competition set for April 2010 in Nashville, Tenn.
“I was not sure I had a chance,” DeVito said. “I’m really happy and it’s a nice reinforcement for what we are doing here.”
Franklin Ed Shoemaker, chairman of the awards committee, said what stood out most about DeVito was his overall involvement in the community as a professional and his philosophy that the arts allow students with disabilities to transcend their challenges through creative self-expression.
He added that DeVito's international experience, which includes the 2008 International Society for Music Education Community Music Commission, Rome, Italy; 2006 International Society for Music Education Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia; and 2006 International Society for Music Education, Singapore, also impressed the committee.
And DeVito could follow in the footsteps of the 2008 state winner who went on to capture the national title.
Back in the classroom earlier this week, DeVito lead a group of students through a lesson about Brazilian music. As he played a whimsical tune on a Brazilian flute – called a pifano – he was accompanied by the rhythmic beat of several congas.
DeVito, who has a doctoral degree from the University of Florida, is certified in K-12 and exceptional student education. He began teaching at Sidney Lanier eight years ago, and said he first fell in love with the school while interning.
Sidney Lanier principal Cathy Costello said DeVito’s recognition is a great honor for the school.
"What he does with the students in the classroom is cutting edge, and has connected our students to educators from around the world,” Costello said. “And he teaches from the heart…what he does is extra special.”
Alachua County School superintendent Dan Boyd said DeVito is a gifted teacher, “one who goes above and beyond the call of duty.”
As he prepares for the national competition, DeVito and the students are also gearing up for several performances including a concert next week at the Thomas Center and at Carnegie Hall in May 2010.
Contact Harriet Daniels at harriet.daniels@gvillesun.com or 338-3166.
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