Music Program Update

We were so excited to begin providing a music program to the students last semester! This has been such an amazing experience to all of the students (and staff)!

The high school classes have learned four ukulele chords and are putting those into practice by playing several different songs. This coming semester, these classes will continue with a “Ukulele Hero” program and will also be studying some world music. A lot of students in this group started out the year VERY frustrated with the difficulty of learning a new instrument. It has been so rewarding to watch them recognize their own abilities and be able do things they never thought they were capable of!

The younger classes have been playing a variety of instruments, including bells, Boomwhackers, rhythm instruments and more. We have seen great progress with these classes in learning to recognize note shapes, learn their values and read rhythms.

We will be utilizing these new skills in the second half of the year as we begin to learn hand drumming on our new cajons. If you’re not familiar with a cajon, it’s a box-shaped instrument that plays a variety of sounds. The sound it makes is determined by the location and manner in which you hit the box. Feel free to stop in the music room and give it a try!

The younger classes seem to be glowing as they enter the music room. They cannot wait to hear a new song or touch a new instrument. The biggest change we have seen is in their willingness to sing on their own. In our last class before Christmas break, Melissa offered a small certificate and piece of candy to anyone who would sing a call and response song with her in front of their classmates. EVERY single student chose to participate… and almost all of them had a smile on their face the entire time!

The changes we’ve seen in each student, even in the short time we’ve been having class, have been so rewarding!

We are so grateful to everyone who has helped to make this new program such a huge success!