Musical Classroom

I ran into Rachel Johnson when she was outside during the elementaries’ usual recess time on Thursday. She had maybe 10 students with her. I asked why there were so few of them; she replied that the rest had decided to stay in the classroom and play with the musical instruments, rather than have outside recess. I was almost in shock, as many of the more rambunctious students hadn’t even decided to come outside. The children had to go to lunch, so I left, but it has stuck with me throughout the last few days. I was thinking various things; why did they choose to stay in the hot classroom – which they are already stuck inside of all day – to play with instruments, instead of going outside with their friends and being able to run and be loud. Have the students been around musical instruments before? Do any of them play outside of school? I ran into Rachel outside during the childrens’ usual recess time. She had maybe 10 students with her. I asked why there were so few of them; she replied that the rest had decided to stay in the classroom and play with the musical instruments, rather than have outside recess.  I was almost in shock, as many of the more rambunctious students hadn’t even decided to come outside.

The children had to go to lunch, so I left, but it has stuck with me throughout the last few days. I was thinking about various things; why did they choose to stay in the hot classroom – of which they are already stuck inside all day – to play with instruments, instead of going outside with their friends and being able to run and be loud. Have the students been around musical instruments before? Do any of them play outside of school? I ran into Rachel outside during the childrens’ usual recess time. She had maybe 10 students with her. I asked why there were so few of them; she replied that the rest had decided to stay in the classroom and play with the musical instruments, rather than have outside recess. I was almost in shock, as many of the more rambunctious students hadn’t even decided to come outside. The children had to go to lunch, so I left, but it has stuck with me throughout the last few days. I was thinking various things; why did they choose to stay in the hot classroom – which they are already stuck inside of all day – to play with instruments, instead of going outside with their friends and being able to run and be loud. Have the students been around musical instruments before? Do any of them play outside of school?

I have been in band since sixth grade, and one of the things about Stephens that made me sad was that they didn’t have a collegiate band. I know there are plenty of vocal classes and majors, but the only instrument I have seen offered is piano. That being said, I was quite excited at the fact that part of Stephens, even if it was the children’s school, was getting involved with musical instruments. The benefits of music are so far-reaching and have such an effect on the perception of those who learn about it. There have even been studies showing that people, specifically children, who play an instrument and/or read music score higher on average than non-musical students in math and literacy. It makes sense; a lot of math is used in music, throughout the time signature changes and the notes themselves. Literacy also makes sense, as a person basically has to learn to read a whole new language.

A came to Stephens wanting to major in education. I realized within 3 days that that was NOT for me, and have since settled into wanting to become a LCSW and an advocate for children. That is still what I want to do, but for this upcoming lesson plan I based it primarily on reading music – and I realized how much I missed it. If I ever did pursue a career in education, I would strongly want to go into music. This lesson was the easiest I have ever written, and I know how much of a safe space the music room can be. Honestly, I am so excited for this upcoming lesson and the opportunity to help children get involved in music. I love that the students here at Stephens, even the little ones, are so excited about music. The idea of a classroom all knowing how to read music and possibly perform, just makes me so happy. I feel like the arts are greatly underappreciated, and I am so grateful for the lab school giving the children the opportunity to experiment with instruments and music.