Cobbling together a music education

Posted on: November 15, 2009 | musiclover | 7 Comments | Print Article | Rate Post:

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The music room at Seward Elementary School fills with youngsters opening trombone, clarinet, trumpet and flute cases, eager to play during recess one recent Thursday. Following warm-ups, Kyle Schneider starts his beginning band with rhythm exercises. The students clap out written rhythmic patterns. Growing confident as they begin to understand, the students do what many learning musicians do—they speed up the tempo, as their teacher hollers and flails to keep the beat steady.

Twenty-one students are participating in elementary band at last count, and another joined them that day. Schneider is delighted with the high level of interest in the band program, and the fact that the students are already starting to play simple tunes after only four weeks of practice as an ensemble.

Schneider, who hails from Chicago, is a professional music teacher and singer, hired by the district last year to split his time between the elementary and high school, in a concerted effort to build back the local music program. It’s a process that Schneider believes will take at least five years. Last year Schneider taught general music at the elementary school, and music appreciation and choir at the high school. This year, he added beginning band at the elementary school, and a graded concert choir and elective jazz choir at the high school.

When he arrived, the Seward schools had been without band, choir, or general music courses taught by a trained music teacher for several years. Rather, the schools had cobbled together what music they could, with regular instructors teaching the general music classes, and a few more. Seward PTSA purchased recorders for the elementary school 3rd and 4th graders. Teacher Terri McKnight offers a guitar club at the elementary school during part of the year. For a few years, a band program was available for high school students and community members after school, when a retired Seward music teacher was given a stipend by the Seward Music Association to teach it, and band members also chipped in a little. The middle school still only offers a choir/exploratory music elective, taught by art teacher Laura Beck, and a drumming elective. When the 6th grade band members move up to the middle school next year—the question is will they have a band?

“If everything works out the way we want it to, by the time those five years are up, my goal is to have a full program, and choir from kindergarten through 12th grade, to extend band up to middle school next year, and to have an advanced band, and have beginning band as well,” Schneider said. He hopes the district will hire an additional music teacher, Because there’s really no way to expand beyond what we have right now without that extra person,” Schneider said.

Providing an energetic, well-rounded music program can be challenging for small schools with declining enrollment, said David Kingsland, the Seward Elementary School principal. The problem is, when student enrollment declines to a certain level, (approximately 270 students), Kenai Borough School District typically eliminates the specialist positions including Music, Library and P.E. But with strong community support and administrative backing for the arts, a music program can be cobbled together, Kingsland said. The district hired Schneider full-time after agreeing to tally together the number of students in the high school and elementary school. (The elementary school also lost its librarian and P.E. instructor for a while, but is hiring back a librarian).

The schools’ administrators are doing what they can on a local level. Kingsland grew up playing the violin, beginning in forth grade, and continued playing in college and to this day. He also encouraged his son to play a band instrument. Kingsland believes musical training plays a vital role in providing a well-rounded education, and can help improve people’s skills in reading, language and mathematics. The elementary school recently saved $4,000 in an effort to conserve energy, and put that extra money into the music fund. The annual Holiday Wreath sale also helps raise funds for music, Kingsland said. The elementary school and the Seward Music Association/Music Boosters each provide funds to bring musical performers to the area to inspire Seward and Moose Pass students, and to take the fifth graders to attend plays and concerts Outside.

John Hersrud, the new middle school principal, plays the clarinet, and his daughter Debra, in 7th grade, played the trumpet before the family moved to Seward this summer. Hersrud would like to see a band at the school available for his daughter and other students to participate in, but is glad for the support they have.

Particularly motivated students—like 8-year-old Ina Klasner—rely on private instructors to supplement their musical ducation. Ina, a fearless and talented young pianist, is taking private piano lessons from Sue McClure, and music theory ith Mark Teckenbrock, who runs Boreal Clef Music School, a private music school. (markteckenbrock@hotmail.com) 

Ina can play almost any piece set in front of her, according to her teacher. At a recent evening practice Ina smiled broadly, clearly enjoying herself, as she and her teacher accompanied he community choir on some challenging Christmas tunes.

“She enjoys it, and really likes her lessons with Sue, and is also enjoying learning the clarinet in the beginning band,” said Fritz Clasner, her father, a Seward Music Association board volunteer. The association offers $100 scholarships to students like Ina, to help pay for private lessons, particularly those beginning an instrument. The association primarily raises funds with its annual calendar, soon to be available around town, Clasner said.

Back in the music room, the band students are turning red-faced and breathless after completing a simple Christmas melody. Moaning, they remark on how winded and dizzy they feel. It’s good to see you out of breath, Schneider tells them. That means that you are breathing deeply, not only from the chest, he says. Singing a passage of Mozart’s Magic Flute with a rich, operatic voice, their teacher demonstrates how, with a shallow chest breath, he quickly runs out of air,but with a deep, full stomach- breath, he is able to sail easily through the entire passage. (comments: heidizemach@yahoo.com)

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