Academic Teachers Make Music

Each year, ETM-LA holds an Academic Teachers’ Institute in order to introduce teachers to the transferable skills students learn in their music classes.  The 3rd Annual Academic Teacher’s Institute, held on January 26^th at the El Dorado School, proved to be a resounding success!  The 23 participants - El Dorado Principal Eric Maxey, teachers and staff - gathered to learn violin and recorder, under the direction of Executive Director Victoria Lanier and El Dorado Teaching Artists, Nick Alvarez and Audrey Salmon.

Ms. Lanier and Ms. Salmon opened with a short performance of Bach’s Minuet in G followed by an animated discussion of why music education is important for children.  A series of listening and rhythm exercises engaged the teachers in the role of music students to give them a first-hand experience of the skills and concepts involved in music learning.

The group then broke into two, some continuing with Ms. Lanier for a hands-on tutorial in recorder, and others gathering with Mr. Alvarez and Ms. Salmon for violin instruction.  Teachers learned the note and rhythmic names while identifying connections to the academic curriculum, and learned to play the tune “I’m a Little Monkey”.  The groups rejoined to present their master performance as the “El Dorado School Ensemble.”  The educators beamed their way through the concert, later expressing their nervousness, but also an overall sense of accomplishment.  They experienced firsthand the affirmation of learning and successfully playing an instrument that their students strive for each week.

The focus on cognitive, creative, and transferable skills deepened teachers’ understanding of how music reinforces student's learning. The Institute underlined ways in which academic skills and concepts – pattern recognition, fractions, sequencing, categorization, comparison, and analysis – are mirrored in musical thought. Teachers said that the professional development session was “enjoyable and enlightening,” and that “experiential [learning is] conducive to knowledge retention.” “Experience with the instrument put me in the role of learner and [led] to a greater appreciation for the types of skills a student of music is involved with,” a teacher explained.  This role-reversal strengthens the academic teacher’s ability to identify shared developmental skills between academic learning and music instruction, such as patience, practice, and perseverance.

The positive effect of the Academic Teachers Institute was instantly apparent. On a survey which asked them to rate the workshop, 97% rated the institute a 5 (highest score=5) on its relevance and engaging atmosphere.