School Days Newspaper Story

This was in the local newspaper last year. I have to get some video or sound clips of the Kidlet playing her cello now. She has been composing her own songs. robin

Strings program is bursting at seams

Savage Pacer

September 19, 2010

Read more: Savage Pacer - Strings program is bursting at seams

By Keighla Schmidt, Staff Writer

Third-grader Tayja Sallie doesn’t have a year of playing the cello under her belt, but she’s struck a chord and doesn’t want to stop playing.

“I haven’t even been playing a year and I’m already this good,” she said when she played for the first time for her new instructor, Sarah Heyden, at Harriet Bishop Elementary School.

“I’m really excited to start lessons with you, Tayja,” Heyden said.

Sallie is one of about 50 students at the gifted and talented magnet school returning for a second year of instruction. Additionally, over 100 new students and their families have expressed an interest in getting their children enrolled in the program.

“We always wanted the program to grow in size. We wanted to offer the opportunity to all of our students; that was definitely in our crystal ball,” Principal Rob Nelson said. “But I’m pleasantly surprised by how rapidly we got to this point. We thought it would take years to develop – this is a fantastic result.

Second- through sixth-grade students are eligible to participate in the program. Many of the incoming students are on the younger end, second or third grade, Heyden said. Because mouth muscle maturity is not required to play a string instrument they can be taught earlier than traditional wind instruments, Hayden said.

“There is no wrong time to start learning to play a string instrument,” she said.

Good fit

The strings program fit well with the goals of the gifted and talented magnet school, Nelson said, because research suggests high success rates in academic areas for children who play string instruments.

“Learning to play an instrument has positive impacts on math and reading skills,” Heyden added.

“They appeal to parents of not just gifted students, but of all students because of the well-roundedness of a student it addresses,” Nelson added. “It’s well known that involvement in the arts has an impact on how a student performs in school.”

Heyden said learning to work as a member of a team, responsibility for the practicing and care of the instruments are also peripheral benefits to playing a musical instrument at a young age.

In addition to academic and social benefits, Nelson said one of the biggest payoffs in playing an instrument is the long-term gains.

“It’s about building a sense of delayed gratification,” he said. “It takes patience and time to build skills and reach a higher level. Little victories and accomplishments need to be recognized along the way. Not everything is learned and done with a snap of the fingers.”

Changes

The program is part of Harriet Bishop’s gifted and talented magnet school. The state mandated the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District work with the Lakeville School District to create more diversity for Lakeville students. The district has four other magnet schools and programs.

Last year the 50 music students were handled by Kevin Berdine, the music teacher at Envision Academy, a performing arts magnet program for high school students. Lessons were outside school hours and each student was able to have free access to a viola, violin, cello or bass so they could try their hand at strings before making a commitment through a purchase of an instrument.

With so much interest this year Heyden was hired as the full-time string orchestra teacher and Berdine will likely be on hand to help, but spend most of his time at Envision.

“It’s very unusual to have an elementary teacher dedicated full time to a strings program,” Heyden said.

But the demand for more instruments in lean budget times has required Nelson get resourceful.

“There isn’t a plan to buy more instruments, we’ll be getting creative, though, to increase our inventory,” he said suggesting the school and students partner with local music stores that have rent-to-own programs. “Each student will have an instrument.”

“We don’t want anyone to feel like they shouldn’t participate just because they can’t afford the instrument,” Heyden said adding booster clubs, fundraisers and partnerships are potential solutions.

“If a student wants to try strings for the first time we want to try to keep the cost to a minimum or at no cost at all,” Nelson said.

This year individual or small-group lessons will take place at school and ensemble rehearsals will likely be before or after school, Heyden said. With more students there will be more groupings.

Nelson said one of the most rewarding parts of last year’s inaugural program will likely return.

“It was so neat to see last year second graders literally side-by-side with a person who has played the viola for 25 years and an Envision student at their other side all playing a piece they learned together,” he said.