wichita, ks – Students at Bostic Elementary School in Wichita will have an exciting school year this fall! Their love for music class has been blooming more and more throughout the years, and Ms. Barker had done all she could to help them reach their potential.
“They enjoy working in small groups on a variety of things; but hands down, the activity they love most is playing instruments! I want to get them actively involved in composing music by using glockenspiels” Ms. Barker explains.
Bostic Magnet Elementary School is a Traditional Magnet, meaning that the students wear uniforms, and are expected to work for high standards in discipline and academic achievement. Yes, they are still a part of the local public school system, however they do not hold themselves to the same standards necessarily.
The students enjoy coming to Music class, and work hard for reward days, when they get to show off their talent with solo singing, piano, and comedy skits they put together.
In order to get the most of their experience while at the school for only a short time, Ms. Barker requested a set of glockenpiels to teach the students rudimental concepts of pitch differentiation, melody, and group songs and activities.
“I will use the glockenspiels in centers with worksheets so that students can work independently or in pairs to compose music within set guidelines. Using instruments with letters on the bars (as opposed to say, a guitar) reinforces the musical scale. I want my students to be reminded of the letters as they write the notes on the music staff on their paper. I would ultimately like to put an Orff instrument in the hands of every student in my classroom. (My classes run about 24 each.) When everyone in the room can play at the same time, it makes a HUGE difference in the amount of interest students have in class!”
Thanks to your donations this week, Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation funded Ms. Barker’s project, and we still have room for more donations for next week!
You can be a part of our journey to fund music education programs by making a small donation!
