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Dr. Jane Kuehne
Dr. Christopher Loftin
Her early teaching experiences were in kindergarten and music was used throughout the day to motivate, calm, and engage her students. “There was no teaching without music… for me, it’s huge.”
School Demographics (2023-2024). Rural, high majority (94.6%) considered economically disadvantaged, majority Black (56.1%), White (33.7%), Hispanic (29.2%) populations, with a 13.8% percentage of students who are chronically absent.
8-10-Year Demographic Shifts. has shifted from 68.7% to 56.1% Black students, with an increase in from 21.4% to 29.3% Hispanic students and from 27.9% to 33.7% White students.
See State Data. See NCES Data. Additional Data found in NCES Data Generator, ID #650998.
Parents of students in School 1 typically work multiple jobs with long hours beyond the standard “9-5” hours which means they are less present at home. She suggests this might be a reason for students’ lower language and communication skills.
Martha suggests 60-70% of students at School 1 miss school because of low motivation to attend.
Music’s Value.
Music was everything. That's how I got their attention. That's how I got them engaged. That's how I got them to calm down. If I wanted to keep them motivated, it was through music.…it was just a part of the instructional day.
Music’s Impact on Reading and Communication.
A lot of our kids are performing below level when it comes to reading and I think music is important with helping to build that phonological awareness …kids being able to hear the sounds in words and being able to take those sounds apart. I think music plays a very important role in that.
Engagement in Learning.
I really think the more we can engage our kids with the arts, the more they're going to be motivated, the more they're gonna enjoy learning, the more they want to come to school, the more attentive they are to school and learning. So here…it is. Music is an integral part of learning…and I couldn't imagine not having music, so I'm so grateful for your program.
Herself as a Model.
I have not seen teachers use as much music in the classroom as I would like to see, and I think one of the things that that I will be challenged with or have I have been challenged with is to use music myself and to model it because, you know, you don't know what you don't know. And if you don't come from that background. And you haven't seen it done. You need somebody to model and not just say how music can be beneficial, but model it for our teachers.
Learning from Their Own Students.
You know, a lot of times when teachers are in the classroom, you know, students may think, oh, they're just here to make sure that we're doing what we're supposed to be doing. But in actuality, they're also learning from students as well. I've seen our teachers grow significantly because of education and that, you know, so they're not just there. To monitor and make sure students are doing what they're supposed to or holding students accountable. But they're learning also. And so I think the more teachers use music, that's gonna help increase student achievement as well.
Benefits for AU Students to Teach in Less Affluent Schools.
One thing for your university students, I think it is very beneficial for them to have experiences coming to places like {SCHOOL} (demographically different than surrounding schools). A lot of our students don't have the resources that students right around us have…
Demographics Matter.
I was telling someone the other day…you know, kids are kids, [it] doesn't matter where you go, all kids are kids…but that was when I was teaching in the city. When I came to this county and became an administrator here I realized just how wrong I was. Kids aren’t…just kids…they come with a lot of different things…that impacts the level of instruction that we have to provide for them. That impacts the level of social, emotional support that we have to provide for students. I've learned so much from my kids just being here for the last five years, about how kids learn, about motivation, about behavior, all those things that I'm learning from them. If I'm learning, I know that university students are benefiting and then again, you know my faculty and staff are benefiting from the students as well.
Benefits from a PWI.
I feel like also our kids are being motivated because with us being predominantly black and then having a high ELL population…we really value…predominantly white university students coming in and providing that support because you know we don't, we wouldn't have that.
Limited by State Legal Requirements.
I don't think my sense of how to make it better doesn't necessarily come from the university. It comes more so from my side of it because…in a lot of ways, my hands are tied with…how far or how much I can pull in because…{Reading and Math Laws}…require uninterrupted blocks of time, and so it really ties my hands.
State Testing.
Also during like testing when we're having {STATE} testing weeks at a time, kids aren't getting that instruction, they're missing music instruction…That's a very stressful time and music is an avenue for them to de-stress and to be able to exhale and express themselves. And then that's the time that we don't give it.
Collaborative Solutions.
I do like the fact that we are able to work together and talk through and come up with a plan that is conducive for us. I appreciate the collaboration and the help and support with finding ways to get past these uninterrupted blocks of time, finding ways to make sure that our kids still get what they need. I think in the future it's going to always be a challenge. But in spite of that challenge, we've been able to work through. And so I appreciate that.
Excitement.
Excitement about music, about excitement, about learning. When kids ask, ‘Why aren't the music students here? Why didn't we have music when teachers asked? Why aren't we having music? Or when are we going to have music again? When are they coming back?’ that tells me that they are excited about it. They want it. They see the value, they see the importance. Kids love it. And when they start asking, why don't we have it? That is, that validates it for me.
Motivation.
I still say we struggle to get our kids motivated. We've tried all kinds of things to get them motivated to do what I know that they can do, but they give us, you know, just a small percentage of what they really can do. Motivation is very important and so that's the biggest thing that I've seen is kids have realized that learning is fun. They find it fun, it's engaging. We don't have the behaviors that we have.
State Testing, Music, Behaviors.
And that's another thing, when it came down to {STATE} test…behaviors shot up because they're stressed, and they don't have that outlet. And so that's one of the benefits that I see that I've noticed is that you know, and I don't know, prior to, you know, having the AU music students.
Desire for More Music Integration in Classrooms.
I do know when music students aren't here, we can see the difference. We really can see the difference. Teachers want it…but what the problem is now that we've got to get teachers to realize that they have a they play an important role too, and to take what they're learning from music students and things that they are seeing and using that in their classrooms as well, so an extension of what our music students are doing.
US and Them vs. WE.
I want it to be more of us or we, you know and so I'm, I know that I play a huge part in that being the instructional leader of the school. I just need to find ways of doing that and I again I am open for suggestions, but I really think that it's important that teachers take what they're learning and extend upon that.
Impact of Having a Music Teacher.
I do think now having a music teacher here. Every day is going to be huge. I think with Dr. {NAME} being more experienced, that's going to be a way to, to lead us into that more so. Instead of us and them, we. And I think if we can do that, I think the sky's the limit as to what our kids can do and will do for us academically, socially, emotionally.
Student Behavior and Music.
…with this new Teacher Bill of Rights…teachers can put kids who are misbehaving out of their classroom…it’s going to be a challenge for us and anything we can do to support teachers, support kids wanting to be there in that classroom…when kids are up and doing and engaged and having fun hands-on activities, music and movement… those classrooms, we seldom have an office referral.
Student Mental Health and Music.
…what I've seen since we've had the arts in our school is the [mental health] referrals are few and far between. Whereas the year before last we were making referrals sometimes tow and three a week. That shows the value in music being an outlet for our kids, the arts being an outlet because there was no music, there was no art. It was reading math, science, social studies. You know, it was so structured all during the day and they didn't have an opportunity to sing and to dance and to play instruments and so I think, I truly believe that has had a dramatic impact on our kids’ social emotional status.
Music During the Day.
…I think in the past we've been so guarded by it that we're afraid of if we play music, we get kids too excited and then we won't be able to bring them back down. But that's not the case. And so we've got to really engage our not only kids, but our faculty and staff...let's bring music into it and get teachers pumped up as well, you know, because music really impacts emotion.
Professional Development, Collaborative Planning, and Music Integration.
Interviewer: Dr. {Music Teacher Name} has taught the Arts Integration Class.
Martha; I think it would be amazing if we could make that happen [professional development]… because teachers just don’t know what to do.
Collaboration That Works.
I think the collaboration is great. I love how we’ve been able to talk through the scheduling challenges that I’ve been faced with… at one point I was afraid, I was like, oh god, I don’t know how we’re gonna do it…and us just being able to sit down and talk through what it might look like… how were’ gonna make it work.
Keeping Everything We Can for the Kids.
We don’t want to lose anything if possible, we want to gain… we want our kids, [they] need as much as we can give them.
Continuous Learning, Growing.
I’m still learning how to manage my time… how to manage the day, and so having university faculty and staff that are okay with me still learning but not being pushy. Being able to text back and forth, those text messages, that has been very helpful for me and I appreciate it, so I hope we will continue that. I feel like next year is going to be even better with Dr. {Music Teacher Name} and her experiences with the university and the closeness that she’s worked with you all.
Are there specific improvements that you would make to this program?
More Time.
I would love more time… and not just on Fridays. I would like throughout the week, additional support and again the support for our teachers.
Promoting Music Integration.
Just being on campus to promote music. It’s not an afterthought. Oh yeah, it’s Friday, so now we’ll have music on Friday, but it’s all the time.. And I don’t know how that could be scheduled. I would like the collaboration to be extended… we purchase…all kinds of games and literacy games and math games, but there’s nothing for music, you know? So how do we…a lot of that is not really knowing what to purchase and how to use it.
[Answers integrated throughout]
Offering Funding Support Options.
We always have Title I money… I’m trying to spend and you know a lot of times I just tell teachers I don’t know what you need, you tell me what you need. I’d much rather purchase things that you need that we’re going to use. So I know we can support…if there are things that you know your students might need or could help, we can support in that area.
Different Days.
Is it possible and I don’t even know… just asking is it possible that students could come…different days? We can expand the possibility if it is possible. I don’t know.
Co-Planning.
How powerful would it be, even during a teacher’s planning time? You know, if the teacher is able to plan with the music study.
Classroom Management.
They [university students] can learn how we’re managing the class, they can… learn from classroom teachers with that as well.
Offering More Support.
What can we do to support you all more because we want to make sure the students feel supported when they come here.