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Blue Hen Quartet brings strings to second-graders
4:22 p.m., Dec. 18, 2006--On the first of every month, the sound of string music emanates from the cafeteria at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Newark. Second-graders sit at the tables and on the floor in front of four UD students and watch as they play their instruments. Cheering when they recognize a song, the children snap their fingers and wave their arms to the beat of “Row Row Row Your Boat” and “Scotland's Burning.” The Blue Hen Quartet, a group of four UD music majors, visit the school the first of every month to play their violins, viola and cello for the students. Their visits are part of Project MUSIC, a program that began last summer with Suzanne Burton, assistant professor of music. Burton said she came up with the idea of bringing classical music into local schools after seeing several presentations at music education conferences. Burton, who teaches music at Thurgood Marshall in a partnership between the school and the University, took the idea to the education committee of Delaware Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and they agreed to support it. Junior Brittany Snyder, the project's coordinator, said she was looking for a service-learning project in the music department that would complement her music management major when she came across Project Music. “I was given several professors' names to contact and found Dr. Suzanne Burton had already fleshed out the idea for this project,” Snyder said. “I found it really interesting to link together two performing groups to a program giving children the chance to experience live classical music.” After being accepted into UD's Service Learning program, Snyder began to work on Project MUSIC (Music Uniting Students Inspiring Communities), a branch of DSO's program. Snyder said DSO ensembles visit elementary schools, including Marshall, as part of their in-school ensemble program. Snyder said the students have been very enthusiastic about the DSO ensembles. “They ask questions, share prior knowledge of music and participate in the activities each group presented,” she said. “They even move and sway in their seats to the music they really enjoy.” Over the summer, Burton worked with Debra Engel, executive director of DSO, Holly Grasso, DSO music librarian and education operation assistant, Martha Burke, general music teacher for first through fifth grades, and Patrice Buchanan, principal of Thurgood Marshall, along with the UD Blue Hen Quartet and the DSO String Quartet, to develop the idea of having a string quartet in its second-grade classrooms. The Blue Hen Quartet consists of senior Erin Flynn and junior Janice Nieves on violin, junior Sam Peters on the viola and senior Denisa Shahu on the cello. Burton and Snyder decided to find and teach music that complements the theme of DSO's Explorer Concert, “Fire and Water,” in April. Snyder said the theme was created for DSO's program, which is concluded by the Explorer Concert for all the schools that participate in the program. Snyder hired senor Gracin Dorsey to arrange music for the quartet, which meets with all six of the second grades over a three-hour period approximately once a month. The quartet teaches the students about audiation, beat competency, singing and movement and about the instruments they are playing. The quartet also coordinates their lessons with music teachers Martha Burke and Krista Velez. The music teachers at Marshall also are teaching according to DSO's theme. Nieves said the students enjoy hearing the fire-and-water-themed music because Dorsey adds a twist that the students do not expect. “The fire-and-water theme helps to give unity to the lessons we teach them,” Nieves said. Dorsey said he was given a list of 10-12 songs to arrange for strings. He gives one instrument the melody, usually the violin, and the others the accompaniment, he said, and has added extras for the children. In one song, “Scotland's Burning,” Dorsey said he added a glissando at the beginning of the song where all the instruments imitate sirens. Snyder said their visits are a mix of playing and teaching. “Intertwined in the performances of the pieces are information about the instruments and pieces, musical terminology and concepts, singing, moving and listening, which all help to develop knowledge of classical music and music in general,” she said. “With this, we hope to engender a new enthusiasm for music that goes beyond music class.” Burton said the quartet's ability to interact with the students helps to strengthen the children's music education while developing both teaching and artist skills. “The quartet is not just performing,” Burton said. “They're actually going in and teaching the students musical concepts and skills. That's what really makes this program unique.” Nieves said she learned about the project after Brian Stone, assistant music professor, sent out an e-mail to music education and management majors. Nieves had already taught music in a few schools as part of an education class, and she said that class gave her more confidence to teach at Thurgood Marshall. Nieves said the quartet practices twice a week, one with their teachers and Snyder and once by themselves. Once they are in the classrooms, she said, the quartet is well-received. “The students were so excited, they are always so happy to see us,” Nieves said. Nieves said she enjoys spending time in the classroom because she can share music with the students. “Most of these children probably wouldn't be getting string quartet music at all,” she said. “Most of them wouldn't really get to see performances. It's nice to see them get really interested and expose them to this.” Flynn said she was nervous during the first session but had no problems with the students. “I was kind of worried about keeping the kids under control,” Flynn said, “I was surprised how interested and into it the kids were.” Burke said the students are very excited to be able to listen and interact with the quartet. “The students are doing very well,” Burke said. “They're very much engaged in the classroom and in the larger group sessions.” As a music education major, Flynn said the sessions help her gain an understanding of teaching children. “It's definitely got me more interested in teaching kids this age because I got firsthand experience in how they react to our presentations,” she said. Burton said the eventual goal is to have each grade have an artist in residence. She said she hopes to expand the program one grade at time, so that the current second-grade class will be exposed to another type of ensemble their next year. “By the time they are in fifth grade,” she said, “they will have been exposed to all instrument families and possibly world music.” Burton said actual interaction with music is the only way to educate students musically. “There's no other way of educating this form of expression,” she said. “When you do not have music education in schools, there's a significant piece of a child's development missing that cannot be filled by other subjects such as math, reading or writing.” Burton said school programs like Project MUSIC are essential. "Students must have a way to express themselves emotionally that is beyond verbal communication and music provides this avenue,” she said. “Through music education students increase their levels of creativity, originality and expression. The benefits of music education are tremendous and enduring."
Article by Julia Parmley, AS '07 |
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