We've Got the Beat! - Using Music Groups to Combat Bullying
My students need a Drum Circle facilitation guide, lollipop drum, rhythmic games, Brazilian music CDs and anti-bullying books such as "Bullying in Schools"
Have you ever found yourself smiling when watching a small child dancing to a beat? The impulse to "groove" when you hear a a rhythmic tune is innate and so what better way to combat bullying??? With this project, I hope to help "beat out" bullying through the forming of a school drum circle.
The school in which I teach is a Title 1 school located near in a rural area.
Many of the students I serve have a variety of needs educationally but also socially. I am a music teacher so I encounter over 700 children in a given week. Our school includes a mixture of local and military students with a variety of social and emotional needs. As a school, we have begun a Character ed/Anti bullying campaign and as a resource teacher, I am interested in doing something to promote this program. In my mind nothing brings people together faster than music. I have a vision to begin a rhythmic/percussion group within our school which can demonstrate the theme of Strength in Unity. Throughout the unit/group students will be learning social skills and how to operate within a group. They will also be exposed to a variety of musical forms from an array of cultural backgrounds to promote the theme of acceptance and appreciation for diversity.
My Project
With the Drum circle facilitation guide, I will have the tools necessary to begin setting up a percussion based group within the school. The lollipop drum will increase the number of percussion instruments we have available for student use. The Brazilian music CD will help expose my students to some famous percussion bands and whet their appetites for joining the group. The rhythmic games will be use early in the unit to teach social and group skills bringing the group together as a whole and preparing them for playing together. Finally, the Book Bullying in Schools will help to increase both mine and my students' awareness of issues with bullying and provide valuable discussion material.
This project is important to me because our children today desperately need guidance in how to establish and maintain relationships with others.
In life and in work, we are constantly required to interact with others and build relationships if we are to be successful. My hope is, by bringing children together with music, perhaps they will also see the bigger picture and learn to value one another, no matter how different we may be.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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