I was looking through my Facebook yesterday trying to find a particular picture and I stumbled across this sweet little note that I received in 2015 from one of my students!
Isn’t that the nicest?!!! Being a teacher is very rewarding, but it is definitely a hard job! Notes like these and kind comments from students and parents are treasured. I keep a box full of notes from students and emails from parents, teachers, and people in the community who have listened to my groups and have wanted to voice their enjoyments. This is a MUST DO THING for any teacher! You will have rough days and when you do… open up that box or those emails and let the sweet words remind you why you are teaching and bring back some of the joy!
Tuesday in Class!!!!
Today I had my friend and teacher colleague, Kelly Hammarlund perform for my classes. Kelly actually started out in Springfield Public Schools as an orchestra teacher at Cherokee Middle School. Two years ago she became a math teacher and is loving it! Lucky for me that our plan times match up! She has been so sweet and has offered her help in doing sectionals or playing with the students during 4th block many times- I appreciate her and her cello playing! Here is a clip of her performance:
I also got to play some Celtic violin for some classes… It was a blast! Here is a little video:
Loved my outfit today, so I’m documenting that also! Made me feel very bright and cheerful today!!!
My Crazy 6th Grade Orchestra at Incredible Pizza celebrating after Large Ensemble Contest!
WANT TO HEAR WHY MUSIC IS IMPORTANT TO MY STUDENTS?!!
These are comments from some of my 6th Graders in my orchestra classes. Their prompt was :
Why is music important to you? And, Why is it important to keep music in our schools?
” For me music is important because it expresses who I am as a person and it makes me feel like I am very involved with my class which makes me happy. It has everything in a normal class and more like collaboration and learning but still has something completely different than every other class like how you get something to do at home as well as school and we get to be happy with it instead of being sad we have to do boring homework we never want to do but whenever he have “homework” it is a great feeling to have fun with homework.It is important to have music in our schools to give kids a new thing to learn and a new opportunity to do something new for their future. It gives kids more things to do in school and most kids in orchestra gets no D’s or F’s in their grade in orchestra. It also gives kids something good for their education at home and them not being worried because they love to do it. So after reading this I hope you see how music affects children and how it affects me. Thanks for reading. “- Christian
“I love music because it just makes me calm and relaxed. I just love being able to play an instrument and just enjoy myself. I can definitely say that playing an instrument has made me love the sound so much more and just enjoy playing it. Before I used to like the sound and I thought oh yeah that sounds good I guess but, once I started playing the cello I have started loving it and actually wanted to listen to it instead of thinking the music was boring. It sounds funny but you develop a relationship with your instrument and understanding it more and get more comfortable with playing your instrument, and I feel as if I’m bonding with it. You can never truly understand the feeling and realize how wonderful it is until you’ve experienced it. It is really important to keep music in schools because it can develop passion and if you develop passion and you want to continue playing your instrument and get good enough you can create and enjoyable career out of it. It’s one of those things you regret if you don’t stick with or don’t take the opportunity to play an instrument. Every single person I’ve met that played an instrument and didn’t stick with it has told me don’t do what I did, make sure you stick with it I regret that I didn’t stick with it. It is so important to keep instruments in schools I don’t think I would be playing an instrument if Carver didn’t have music and it definitely makes the opportunity more accessible.” -Emma
“Music is important because it helps you grow and you have experiences that you don’t get anywhere else. Music is one of those things that when you play it there is a feeling you get and you feel like anything is possible…Orchestra and band are awesome classes to have in schools because not only are we learning about how to play an instrument but we are also making new friends and getting experiences like no other. I encourage other kids that are interested in joining orchestra and band do because it is awesome and you will love it. Orchestra and band are amazing and you won’t regret it… It is important to keep music in our schools because it is something to look forward to.”- Alexa
“It helps me learn new things.Relieve stress and also it helps me and teaches me.We need to keep music in schools because it is very helpful and it can relieve stress from other classes.” -Brayden
“Music is important to me because it makes me happy. Orchestra is the class that makes me want to come to school. I am always looking forward to orchestra at the end of the day. It is important to keep music in our schools because without music it is boring. I think that all schools should have the opportunity to have music in their schools.” Brenna
“Music is important to me because to me music is life. You struggle and you learn and then you thrive or perform. Music is what I do or listen to everyday. I like to try and learn a new song everyday. Either the lyrics to a song or a song I haven’t done before on my viola. It is important to keep music in our schools because music is a skill that a lot of people cannot do. I feel like if schools take away music no one will learn with a drive and a confidence. Music is something everyone should have in their lives. Not just in school but, in their lives. School is apart of life. So, not having music in schools is like saying that we shouldn’t live a passionate and happy life.- Masey
Reading through all the comments, I was totally blown away at what the students had to say. These were their words and they were from their heart, which means the world to me.
I am blessed!
More student comments on tomorrow’s blog!
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