I have a self-contained class of emotionally disabled children. This means that for most of the day, these students (6th grade) are with me. They are at different levels of learning, but we try to match their studies up with 6th grade curriculum. This is very important because when a student is able to be mainstreamed, they know what the subject matter is in the general curriculum and with some modifications and accommodations, they are better able to fit in and "take off running."
The majority of our self-contained E.D. students are on free or reduced lunches, come from single-parent families, and go home to an unsupervised after-school setting. They have very little access to programs that are extra-curricular, and even when there is money available, transportation is difficult.
Part of the 6th grade curriculum is world history. We have a very exciting Social Studies curriculum that includes ancient civilizations and leads up to the Middle Ages and Renaissance. These units are rich with cultural information and exciting archaeological information. The cultures we study in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient India, Ancient China, Middle Ages/Renaissance are rich with fascinating information about how those people lived, dressed, ate, and how they celebrated life. Part of this journey into the past includes the music that was created by generations of different cultures and passed down from "ear to ear," even before there was paper to write on.
I have a music background, including taking 13 years of piano, attending the Governor's School of the Arts in music during high school, and being active with children's choirs and other activities in my church. My students would benefit greatly (particularly coming from their economic situations) from some music study that would be integrated into our social studies units. Many students that I have each year will never have the means or the time to have music lessons. Music has been proven to be very beneficial to students, and there is even research that showed students' SAT scores rising after listening regularly to classical music.
I would love to include with each unit some opportunities to listen and even play some music from that era or culture. This would be a wonderful addition to the diverse curriculum that is already in place. To have a keyboard and access to CD's and music information from some of these cultures, past and present, would be a fabulous learning experience for these students. To be able to teach them basic musical concepts and even some piano would enlighten them, give them more self-confidence in so many areas, and show them part of a world that is "untouchable" for so many. If I was able to build a small "library" of music with 4-6 keyboards, my students would be able to have this great experience. The number of CD's for a good selection and for the different Social Studies units would be 15-20, so that students would be able to listen to musical expressions from past and present.
I hope that we will be able to add the musical element to my E.D. program here at CrossRoads Middle School. The students are always ready and willing to express themselves rhythmically and musically, so to have this training would be a part of their education that could "travel" with them throughout their lives. To appreciate and enjoy the music of other cultures as well as their own is one key piece, I believe, to a valuable education for these students. Education for them is freedom as it is for us all.
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