Making Music Mine 1

Celebrating Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month

This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.

I am an elementary music teacher at Bell's Hill Elementary in Waco, Texas. Bell's Hill is a Title I school with 91% of the students on free or reduced lunch. In addition, 42% are LEP (Limited English Proficient) students and 77% are at-risk students. Learning can be difficult even without a language barrier or learning disability but making music can help decrease some of those difficulties. With so many of Bell's Hill students having to work through additional learning struggles, they deserve all the extra help that can be given. With the help of new instruments, the students at Bell's Hill will be able to be a part of a new activity called "Music Circle." It is here where the students will have the opportunity to come together in a circle and collaborate to make their own music. Each student, having their own instrument, will be challenged on their own level, allowing all students to be successful in making music. "Music Circle" is one that can be used in the classroom or even one that can be transferred into a parent involvement activity. The materials that are needed for this activity are musical instruments: soprano glockenspiel, alto glockenspiel, soprano xylophone, and alto xylophone. All of the instruments are wonderful for making great music and are kid friendly. There are 524 students at Bell's Hill and every student, Kindergarten through 5th grade, will have the opportunity to experiment and create with these instruments. With the help of these additional instruments, the students will be able to experiment, improvise, and create many different facets of music. This activity will help the students establish a sense of ownership in their music making and be able to carry that knowledge into their academic classroom. Many students at Bell's Hill struggle in their academic classrooms, but for those children who have had the opportunity to participate in a music program, they often find themselves becoming more successful in other subject areas. Recent research has found that music uses both sides of the brain, a fact that makes it valuable in all areas of development. Making music is something that can happen regardless of the language or mental capacity. With the help of these instruments, the Bell's Hill students will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge in the music classroom and in the academic classroom. Thank you.