Much like expert technical skills, mastery in arts and humanities is closely correlated to a greater understanding of language components. ~ Trei, Lisa. “Musical training helps language processing, studies show.” Stanford News. Accessed February 24, 2015
This week’s Director Spotlight is on Mrs. Wendy Higdon, Co-Director of Bands at Creekside Middle School in Carmel. Wendy is a veteran director whom has taught band in Carmel schools and in the Lebanon school district. We hope you enjoy getting to know Wendy in this edition of the Director Spotlight.
U.S. Department of Education data on more than 25,000 secondary school students found that students who report consistent high levels of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show “significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12.” ~ U.S. Department of Education NELLS88 Database
“At this time when you are making critical and far-reaching budget and program decisions…I write to bring to your attention the importance of the arts as a core academic subject and part of a complete education for all students. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act defines the arts as a core subject, and the arts play a significant role in children’s development and learning process. The arts can help students become tenacious, team-oriented problem solvers who are confident and able to think creatively.” ~ Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, Letter to Schools and Community Leaders, 2009.
Myron Snuffin, Director of Bands at Brownsburg Middle School East, joined us recently on the Director Spotlight. In the interview, Myron talks about his approach to teaching middle schoolers, his secret to being organized and his recruiting methods and getting students signed up for his class. Hope to see you at IMEA this week in Fort Wayne! Teaching Middle School Secret To Being Organized Recruiting & Getting Students Signed Up for Band
Music enhances fine motor skills, or the ability to use small, acute muscle movements to write, use a computer, and perform other physical tasks. ~ Forgeard, 2008; Hyde, 2009; Schlaug et al. 2005, “The Effects of Musical Training on Structural Brain Development A Longitudinal Study,” The Neurosciences and Music III: Disorders and Plasticity: Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1169: 182–186 (2009).
A study of 8 to 11-year-olds found that, those who had extra-curricular music classes, developed higher verbal IQ, and visual abilities, in comparison to those with no musical training. ~ Forgeard et al., “Practicing a Musical Instrument in Childhood is Associated with Enhanced Verbal Ability and Nonverbal Reasoning,” PLOS One, 2008.
Happy New Year! We start off the new year on the Director Spotlight with Mr. Myron Snuffin, Director of Bands at Brownsburg Middle School East. Myron is a wonderful example of someone who finds the joy in the daily job and who appreciates the process in helping kids learn to play an instrument. I hope you enjoy this edition of the Director Spotlight!
Teens described their music teachers as encouraging, motivating and acting as both role models and friends that can be trusted for listening and giving advice. ~ Shehan Campbell, Patricia. Adolescents’ Expressed Meanings of Music In and Out of School
Students at schools with excellent music programs had higher English test scores across the country than students in schools with low-quality music programs; this was also true when considering mathematics. ~ Journal for Research in Music Education, June 2007; Dr. Christopher Johnson, Jenny Memmott
Happy Holidays from all of us at Paige’s Music, Director Services. We hope you all have a safe and restful time away from school. Don’t forget to watch the Marching Pride of Lawrence Township in the Rose Parade on January 2nd. Special congrats to Mr. Randy Greenwell as he retires after the trip! If you find yourself with some spare time, you can always find all of the Director Spotlights and tips we’ve done on this site. Here are the links: Spotlights Tips We’ll see you in January!
The College Board identifies the arts as one of the six basic academic subject areas students should study in order to succeed in college. ~ Academic Preparation for College: What Students Need to Know and Be Able to Do, 1983 [still in use], The College Board, New York
Nearly half of parents and teachers support integrating music into the professional development of all educators. ~ NAMM Foundation and Grunwald Associates LLC (2015). Striking a Chord: The Public’s Hopes and Beliefs for K–12 Music Education in the United States: 2015.
Mr. Jim Crismore from Zionsville West MS joined us on the Director Spotlight recently. He offered several great tips for educators. In this edition, he offers a few thoughts on determining your goals and loving what you do. Decide Your Goals Love What You Do
Musically trained children performed better in a memory test that is correlated with general intelligence skills such as literacy, verbal memory, visuospatial processing, mathematics, and IQ. ~ Dr. Laurel Trainor, Prof. of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behavior at McMaster University, 2006
Young Children who take music lessons show different brain development and improved memory over the course of a year, compared to children who do not receive musical training. ~ Dr. Laurel Trainor, Prof. of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behavior at McMaster University, 2006
Today’s Director Spotlight is on Mr. Jim Crismore, Director of Orchestras at Zionsville West Middle School. Prior to his appointment at Zionsville, Mr. Crismore taught orchestra for Lawrence Township Schools. We hope you enjoy this edition of the Director Spotlight.
Teens Described their music teachers as encouraging, motivating and acting as both role models and friends that can be trusted for listening and giving advice. ~ Shehan Campbell, Patricia. Adolescents’ Expressed Meanings of Music In and Out of School
Students indicate that arts participation motivates them to stay in school, and that the arts create a supportive environment that promotes constructive acceptance of criticism and one in which it is safe to take risks. ~ (Source: Barry N., Taylor K., and K. Walls Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development, AEP, 2002)
“When a child picks up a violin for the first time, she/he knows that playing Bach right away is not an option; however, when that child practices, learns the skills and techniques and doesn’t give up, that Bach concerto is that much closer. In an increasingly competitive world, where people are being asked to continually develop new skills, perseverance is essential to achieving success.” ~ Lisa Phillips, “The artistic edge: 7 skills children need to succeed in an increasingly right brain world,” ARTSblog, Americans for the Arts, 2013.
