The Ithaca Community Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG), an affiliate of IPEI, will hold its next general meeting of the 2009-10 school year on March 31, Wednesday, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Ithaca High H Courtyard, near the main office. Interested parents and community members are invited to attend. Snacks will be provided. The boosters serve all the elementary, middle and high schools in the Ithaca District.

The March 31 meeting will include a discussion of the proposed district budget and the arts impact. In addition, special guest presenters will discuss arts and inclusion.

Special guest presenters are Jeff Claus, Ithaca College Associate Professor in the Department of Education, and Baruch Whitehead, Ithaca College Associate Professor of Music Education. Presenters will discuss their work in arts and inclusion of all students. Professor Claus teaching and research focuses on issues of equity, diversity and social justice in education. Jeff Claus is active in the community and was instrumental in the supporting Southside Community Center’s new recording studio and the Community Unity Multicultural Music Education Program. Professor Whitehead is an elementary music specialist with the Orff-Schulwerk Process and directs the multicultural chorus Voices in the Greater Ithaca Community. He is also the founder of the GIAC African Dance and Drumming ensemble. Dr. Whitehead’s research is in the area of music and learning and diversity in music education.