Get Schooled

By Jennifer

May 5, 2005 11:07 AM | Link to this

Thank you for sharing that wonderful article.

I wish all schools had the funding necessary for children to be in band and orchestra. I think it is wonderful these people are basically donating their time to teach children.

When I moved my children from a school in Midtown to the Fernbank school district in DeKalb I was shocked to realize my youngest daughter had to give up the clarinet because Fernbank did not offer a music program until the children were in fifth grade. She was heartbroken. A year and a half later I broke my lease and moved back to Midtown where my children were once again able to participate in band and orchestra.

Children need art and music; I see them as a necessity to growing as music aids in math. It is very frustrating when schools cannot offer these classes due to budget cuts.

I am sure the families of the children playing are very, very proud. I tip my hat to them all.

By Suwanee

May 5, 2005 11:22 AM | Link to this

A truly wonderful story, but I have another.

My husband teaches the Suzuki violin method full-time out of our home every afternoon. He also volunteers 2 hours of teaching time to several four-student groups at one of Gwinnett’s less affluent public high schools every Monday morning after being called by the school’s music teacher. As it turned out, the teacher had called several hundred Gwinnett and Atlanta area teachers asking that they volunteer 1 hour a month each to give a private lesson so that the interested students would receive personalized training that they would not otherwise be able to afford. Out of almost 300 teachers called, only my husband said yes. When he found out about that, he volunteered to come in every Monday a.m. He also does not get a dime for his efforts, but he does get the satisfaction that he’s helped.

It is teachers like Ms. Remy, Ms. Lewis and my husband who are making a difference in the lives of children who would not otherwise have such a chance. I am very proud of my husband and am equally heartened by the efforts of Ms. Remy and Ms. Lewis.

By Jake

May 5, 2005 11:23 AM | Link to this

Patti, Patti, Patti - why do you have to emphasize ” - all African American -“? Can’t they just be four boys? Or do you think only affluent white kids from Dunwoody can make beuatiful music?

By aanthone

May 5, 2005 11:30 AM | Link to this

It is amazing to me that America, with all of it’s knowledge and resources, is still far behind other countries in realizing that our children are our most treasured resource. Our ENTIRE educational system is failing our children and needs to be re-vamped; quick, fast and in a hurry. The arts programs are just the tip of the iceberg. Our children are not being properly prepared for life!!!

By Ann

May 5, 2005 12:02 PM | Link to this

aanthone, leave it to you to take this story as a way to talk about the educational system failing children. This is a great story about a school that is having great succeess. Let’s not bash the schools or the teachers when we have wonderful things like this happening in schools every day.

By Patti

May 5, 2005 12:57 PM | Link to this

Hey Jake,

I totally hear you and I debated on whether to mention the students’ race. I decided to because it completely goes against the stereotype to have African-American adolescent boys playing the harp.

I know the same can be said for boys of any race, but the image we see over and over of African-American boys is, well, not playing the harp. I wanted to paint the reader a picture of what I saw, and what I saw was more than just four boys up on stage. It was four boys that would simply not have the opportunity were it not for this program.

Thank you for the feedback. I do understand your point of view.

Patti Ghezzi

By Milo

May 5, 2005 01:28 PM | Link to this

This is in response to

“By Jake

May 5, 2005 11:23 AM | Link to this

Patti, Patti, Patti - why do you have to emphasize â€? - all African American -“? Can’t they just be four boys? Or do you think only affluent white kids from Dunwoody can make beuatiful music?”

Jake, When was the last time you came upon a group of African American Males that were listining to “REAL” music and not “RAP”?

By Sly

May 5, 2005 02:08 PM | Link to this

Jake - Patti used what she felt was a story. If it were 4 white kids from Dunwoody there wouldn’t be a story. Who would read her column then? You’re a knucklehead for evoking race into this thing. Patti - no further explanation was required. Its cool to see kids that the environment is telling them to be one way are going the other way. Refreshing.

By Suwanee

May 5, 2005 02:28 PM | Link to this

I completely agree with Sly. My husband’s students are mostly Hispanic but that was not the point of my story either.

By Swan

May 5, 2005 03:26 PM | Link to this

Nice story, Patti. And uplifting after yesterday’s Dacula debacle. There someting about learning to play a musical instrument that tends to instill pride and confidence into young people. I admire these boys because the harp is not an easy intstrument at all! Kudos to their teachers, too.

By Ernest

May 5, 2005 04:33 PM | Link to this

Patti:

This was a refreshing break to the normal stories in this blog! There are a LOT of positive stories going on in our schools and I for one would like to hear about those from time to time.

Suwanee:

You have a ‘gem’ of a husband but I guess you already know that.

By Jess Buice

May 6, 2005 11:07 AM | Link to this

ELEMENTARY MUSIC EDUCATION

First a brief history. When music education was adopted by state standards, it became another responsibility of the classroom teacher. Although all elementary school teachers must take a music ed. class in college, they do little to prepare them for the task. Thus, textbook publishers provided textbooks, now with eye popping pictures, and records for the students to follow the words and sing along with the record, now a CD.

Today most of Atlanta’s largest district have music specialist (teachers) that pretty much use the same method of instruction. I say pretty much, for there are the exceptions who use more specific methods and actually teach their students how to read and compose music, building a foundation on the “language of music.” For the most part it is still a rote learning process, and, if the student has a reading problem, following the words in the book does not happen, they just imitate the songs heard on the stereo. THIS IS NOT MUSIC EDUCATION!!!

Music teachers are most often a cog in the wheel. They provide a planning time for the classroom teacher and put together “canned musicals” or rote performances to increase PTA attendance! The last point is the biggest hinderance to quality music instruction. Seeing the students only once per week, does not allow proper time to learn to read the music, thus singing along with the tape/cd, as the PTA meets once per month, and the principal is counting on a big turn out for the PTA! Private teachers do not have recitals once per month!

The result of this is only a few students, those who enjoyed the experience and were encouraged by the teacher or family, continue with the REAL music instruction in 4th or 5th grade band and chorus. This has led to the popular notion that children with musical abilities are “GIFTED.” The fact is ALL CHILDREN CAN AND SHOULD LEARN TO READ AND COMPOSE MUSIC, and, ALL CHILDREN HAVE MUSICAL ABILITIES! Will all become a Mozart? No! They will not all be the fastest reader in the school either, but they can all learn to read, the same goes with music abilities! Imagine what Mozart would do in a music class using todays textbooks? Then ask yourself, how many Mozarts have we missed? For current research on the abilities of children to learn music and it’s benefits to the brain I would recommend visiting http://www.musica.uci.edu/ - The Music and Science Information Computer Archive, at the University of California.

Parents need to take a more pro-active role in the music curriculum and the expectations of the students. A textbook series can cost as much as $40,000 for one school! They are not concerned with mastery of skills, but having a “good time” in music! Sure we want them to have a good time but we also want to broaden the skills and the strength of their minds!
“It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perception.” - Albert Einstein

With that $40,000 investment a complete music literacy program can be implemented, providing keyboards, recorders, and yes, band and orchestra instruments. Remember, the textbooks are adopted ever 7 years, and most of what they include was in the old text, and still students are singing along with the stereo! If you were fortunate to have music education in your elementary school. what do you recall learning? Specifically? What skills? How did it help you in other subjects? If taught as a language, music will introduce math concepts, particularly fractions, long before the math curriculum!

I was fortunate to come from a strong music program at Jonesboro Middle School, and Senior High, in Jonesboro, Ga - in the late 60’s and early 70’s. From that background came my ability to read better, as I was HIGHLY dyslexic! I know first had the effects on learning to read music and language development! Over the past 15 years I have been fostering a transformation from rote methods to teaching ALL students how to read and compose music in elementary school, at a fraction of the cost currently adopted in textbooks, and with greater benefits to the formation of thinking skills in the mind. It is now my life’s work!

As with all change in the educational field, it takes the parents to get involved and demand higher standards! Ask yourself these questions: If you had the choice, would you rather your child sing along with the stereo or have private lessons? What would the private lesson expectations include? Remember, the music teacher did not go to school to increase PTA attendance! Nor did they practice all those years to sing along with the stereo! Most would welcome the change, but they need your support! For those few dedicated music teachers who have taken on the extra effort to build music skills and promote music literacy, we should all be thankful!

Jess Buice Founder/CEO Music Notes, Inc.

By David

May 9, 2005 02:15 PM | Link to this

jake, does that mean we need to get rid of the UGA African American chorus at the university????would like to get your opinion on this…