Music in Our Schools

Music in our schools

“Music is a good, pure thing,” says professional music educator, Dr. Johanna Siebert, Director of Fine Arts at the Webster Central School District (WCSD). 

“We teach to be human; to understand and express ourselves.”

John Gabriele, Chair of the Music Department at Rochester City School District’s School of the Arts (SOTA) agrees wholeheartedly. “Music isn’t something we do; it’s something we are. It’s hard-wired into us.” March is Music In Our Schools Month, a time when music education steps into the spotlight to take a well-deserved bow.

The Music Educators

Johanna began her illustrious music career on the violin in first grade. Her wealth of experience includes her tenure in the Webster schools teaching music classes and acting as curriculum supervisor, teaching at the Eastman School of Music, and being chosen as one of ten people who developed “The New National Standards for Music,” released in 2014. Johanna recently received the Rochester Philharmonic Award for her work on behalf of the Rochester arts community, something she’s extremely proud of.

“You don’t choose music as much as music chooses you,” John, who started playing the piano at a young age, explains. “I loved it and I had the aptitude and the discipline you need to do it as a career.” In college her persued a performance major in piano, ultimately receiving his Master’s Degree in Education. As Music Department Chair, he enjoys working with students and mentoring younger teachers. “I’m now at the point where I’m teaching my past students’ kids,” John says proudly. “Many parents who came here as students want the same experience for their own kids.”

Music Is Academic

WCSD has two high schools, two middle schools, and seven elementary schools. Not surprising, Johanna fully supports school music programs that begin the day a student enters the Webster schools and conclude with graduation. In addition to general music classes, Webster schools begin offering band and chorus in fourth grade and and then provide plenty of other opportunities to students who want to explore musical interests or stretch themselves in a specific area. These include small group lessons, voice classes, jazz ensembles, orchestra, AP Music Theory classes, and select orchestra, which requires an audition and more practice time. How does Johanna respond to those who feel that the arts should be an afterschool activity rather than part of the school curriculum? “Music is a highly academic subject,” she says. “We have standards for every grade level.” Music has a full-fledged content area all its own, she continues, with a vocabulary, a history, and a set of processing skills. It’s a subject that requires students to be collaborative, communicative, and creative, along with encouraging them to participate actively and think on their feet. “No one sits on the bench in music!” she declares. Not only does music teach skills that students can’t get elsewhere, it provides them with a sense of their own history and where they fit into it. “Some of the most important themes of music reflect certain periods of time, how people thought and what they cared about then. For example, look at the protest songs of the 1960s,” Johanna suggests. Additionally music gives kids an exposure to different cultures, sounds, and feelings through the musical selections that teachers choose for their concerts.

For more than 30 years, SOTA has emphasized a curriculum for students from grades 7-12 that seamlessly melds fine arts and academics. Teens and tweens are expected to participate in SOTA performances, to commit to an extended school day, and to carry a full academic course load along with a rigorous fine arts sequence. Teachers and administrators call this focus STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) based on their belief that the arts are just as important as other scholastic subjects. In SOTA’s educational model, arts are one of the primary ways student success is measured. “Music is the medium we use to teach kids the skills they’ll need to get through life,” says Alan Tirre, Assistant Principal at SOTA. There are numerous opportunities for aspiring musicians at SOTA, including lessons, strings, band, orchestra, ensembles, and chorus. “The sheer variety of arts programming at our school rivals many collegiate programs,” Alan maintains.

Students at both schools enrich the Rochester community in numerous ways. SOTA students perform at City Hall and have appeared on WXXI’s City Wise program for more than three years. Furthermore, John makes sure that SOTA students frequently visit Rochester elementary schools to show the young students there what is possible for them to achieve in the arts with a positive attitude and a lot of practice! WCSD musicians have been asked to perform patriotic selections at places including the 9/11 commemoration, sporting events such as Rochester Amerks games, and in parades. They also play holiday music for elderly residents at local nursing homes and are often part of musical theatre productions.

Music is Adaptable

How have school music programs adapted to our rapidly changing society and emerging technologies? John believes that the courses haven’t changed as much as the ways kids today are learning. At SOTA, they’ve found it helpful to add a technology component to many of their preexisting classes, and computers assist students with skills like ear training, composition, and research. Webster schools have used a similar approach, embedding technology in already existing courses, as opposed to creating entirely new ones. “We have recording equipment in our classrooms so kids can play their piece back and evaluate it immediately,” Johanna says, explaining that if students have to wait until they hear the concert recording, it will be too late to fix the problem. WCSD teachers and students also use iPads for composing their lessons and SMART Music, a computer program students can play along with, which tells them as soon as they play something incorrectly.

One thing that hasn’t changed over time is how music encourages students to think creatively, and to listen and truly understand what they’re hearing. It also teaches young people to work in a group and to understand the long-term benefits from the discipline of regularly practicing an instrument. It’s simple, John says. “If you practice every day you will hear yourself getting better.” He adds that mastering tougher compositions by breaking the work down into smaller steps can be an amazing accomplishment for young people and gives them a foundation to tackle other difficult tasks they may encounter later in life.

Music Motivates

SOTA has an astounding graduation rate (90-94% each year) for a Rochester City School. Alan explains that they don’t look at a student’s past academic performance or behavior when considering admission. “They audition and we look at what they can do in the arts,” he says. “Every year we accept kids who are performing several grades below their level.” The other good news is that SOTA’s attendance rates are high and the school’s dropout rate is less than 3%. Based on these figures, Alan doesn’t believe it takes a rocket scientist to realize that coupling academics with the arts results in students who are more passionate and committed about their education. Not only is music a great vehicle to get students to come to school, it’s also a fantastic way for young people from all walks of life to express themselves in socially appropriate and unique ways.

“Music gets kids to school,” Johanna says matter-of-factly. “It provides a tremendous inner satisfaction when a student is able to master something difficult through problem-solving. Having a public audience for this allows them to see themselves as part of something successful which can be important for both the kids and their families.”

The Beat Goes on!

Each year, at least eight graduating Webster seniors choose to major in some form of music, usually teaching or performing, at college. But you don’t have to be a career musician to reap the benefits of music throughout your life. “It prepares students for the workforce and teaches them how to be a good citizen,” Johanna asserts. Students that are part of a band, orchestra, or ensemble benefit by learning both individual and teamwork skills that they might not get in other academic subjects, such as resolving issues when different personalities are involved and learning to accept constructive feedback. Because of this, music students tend to be much better hires for potential employers, she declares.

Alan notes that approximately 30% of SOTA’s student body will pursue arts as a long-term career goal but that, regardless what career path SOTA graduates choose, 100% of them will leave school with an understanding and appreciation of the role the arts can play in their lives. “We’re not in the business of creating artists. We create well-rounded human beings who appreciate the arts,” he states. John believes that exposing every child to the arts, no matter what his future plans are, makes perfect sense. “We send every child to gym class and don’t expect them to become professional athletes,” he says. “We just want them to understand how to take care of their bodies. It’s the same concept with music.”

A firm grounding in music allows every young person to become an actively contributing member of a community that values the arts, whether as a performer or a patron. Pleasing others through their music is a gift that they learn to give freely, Johanna observes. In Webster everyone comes out to hear the kids play and music establishes a connection between different generations. To her delight, parents often approach their child’s musical involvement saying “I enjoyed music in school so much that I want my children to have the same experience.”

Music Matters  Every Month!

“Music uses all of us –our brain, our hearts, and our souls, everything,” Adele Fico, SOTA’s Art Center Director, proclaims. “There is no substitute for music!” John agrees. “Music in Our Schools Month is a good way to educate the public by showcasing what we do but what we’re doing is so important that we should be doing it every month.”

According to Johanna, commemorating Music in Our Schools every March doesn’t change what WCSD is already doing. But, setting aside a specific month is a great motivator for music educators to “make sure we’re doing everything we can musically in our schools”.

On a personal note, I’ve seen all of the benefits of music education that Johanna, John, Alan, and Adele spoke of firsthand. My oldest son majored in French horn performance and is now teaching private music lessons in the Dallas, TX schools, along with playing paid musical gigs in wide variety of settings. My two younger boys are in college where they regularly attend musical performances in every genre; nothing is off limits! And, as a family, music continues to enrich all of our lives immeasurably. Should there be music in the schools? Our answer is a resounding “Yes!” 

Sue Henninger is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to family magazines. Contact her at www.fingerlakeswriter.com.