“The fact that children can make beautiful music is less significant than the fact that music can make beautiful children.” 

- Cheryl Lavender

"What are we going to do today?" 

Whenever I receive this question from a student, my answer is always the same. 

"We are going to learn!"

We do lots of learning in music class - singing, dancing, playing instruments, and games, but also learning about music history and social studies, sound science and anatomy, patterns and math, language, phonics, poetry, and so much more! Many studies have been done regarding the benefits of listening to and performing music. Students taking music courses score significantly better on exams than their nonmusical peers. Music has also been proven to reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain, while improving sleep quality, mood, alertness, and memory. We can all agree that music is physically beneficial to our lives, but there are many non-physical benefits to music education as well. 

My goal for my students is that they become musical people. All people should be able to come together in song - to sing "Happy Birthday", to clap on the beat to the Dragon Fight Song, to dance at weddings, to sing a lullaby, to appreciate listening to an orchestra, band, or choir performance. Through music, we explore topics of community, resilience, accountability, empathy, motivation, expression, self-awareness, and self-esteem. In our classroom, we maintain a balance of discipline and fun, in order to provide each student with a safe learning environment where they can be - or become - themselves. I hope my students will not only exceed musically, but also grow into a group of well-rounded individuals - emotionally, physically, and intellectually. 

That's what we're going to do today.