Submitted by Alison Bailey for North Thurston Public Schools
For more than 30 years, the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) has recognized March as Music In Our Schools Month. North Thurston Public Schools has 26 band, orchestra, and choir teachers, 13 elementary music teachers, and more than 2,500 music students, and they are all ready to celebrate!
“Here at NTPS I like to think we celebrate music every day,” says Kevin Reimer, the district’s director of activities, arts, and athletics. At every level of instruction, NTPS students have access to inclusive, enriching lessons in music led by beloved and talented instructors. “The teachers we have are so passionate about music,” Mr. Reimer adds. “They have continued to find ways to keep the music alive and students engaged throughout the pandemic.”
Music In Our Schools Month began as a national effort to grow awareness around the positive role music can play in the lives of young people. The NAfME characterizes music as a “powerful esthetic force” that “dignifies the realm of feeling by merging intellect and emotion in the search of a humane way of life.” Music In Our Schools Month is an annual reminder that music serves as an “essential part of the learning process,” and NTPS is proud to honor that tradition.
Linda Pyle, a music teacher at Chambers Prairie Elementary, explains how the COVID-19 pandemic made in-person concerts impossible. After collaborating with instructors in nearby districts, she and fellow Chambers Prairie staff organized a “Live from Your Living Room” concert over Zoom.
“It is especially important for young students to get that ‘post-concert lobby experience’ where they hear that they did well from lots of people who are not their director or their parents,” Ms. Pyle says. When the performance was over, audience members were invited to unmute themselves and let the kids know how extraordinary their learning was, especially given the challenges of the pandemic. “It was super special for kids to be able to hear from former teachers and reconnect with them through these concerts,” Ms. Pyle adds.
Meaning and enrichment also come from the experience of learning to make music in a group setting. Stephanie Bivins, a choir teacher at Aspire Performing Arts Academy (grades 6-8), characterizes such experiences this way, “There is something really special about being able to create something beautiful with other people, to learn about others through their music, and to breathe life into the music on the page.” The sense of camaraderie that’s fostered through school music programs is undeniable.
“We have unique students with many different backgrounds and interests, and they come together to do incredible things and support one another,” Ms. Bivins says. “As students grow through their time here, they become invested in the success of their peers, even when choir is the only thing they think they have in common.” Whether it’s playing an instrument or learning to sing, the music educators at NTPS live to see their students become confident artists, performers and community members.
John Theine is the band instructor at River Ridge High School including concert bands, a jazz band, and a Taiko Drum ensemble. His favorite thing about teaching music, and the thing he thinks makes music so enriching to students’ lives, happens in the moments where they reach a point of satisfaction over creating something greater than the sum of its parts. “This type of moment really only happens in the performing arts,” Theine explains. “We work hard for those moments. We struggle and anguish over the road we travel to get there, but when we get there, we feel that accomplishment.”
Theine leads River Ridge band members through highlights of their high school careers such as summer band camp and trips to competitions around the country. He’s also passionate about making sure any student who wants to participate in the music program at River Ridge can do so in a meaningful way that cooperates with other activities or developmental differences a student might be working with.
The music programs at NTPS strive to create a safe environment for all students to express their emotions and individuality while celebrating differences and building community. Music In Our Schools Month is the time to honor the work of music educators and the students whose lives they enrich.
Learn more about the NTPS Music programs, as well as upcoming concerts, on the North Thurston Public Schools website.
Sponsored
