News & Views Monday, March 18, 2024

The Wonder of Music Monday, January 21, 2019

leon-524852recommended by Jen Sper, School Choral and Classroom Music Specialist

The Wonder of Music by John Jacobson & Lynn Brinckmeyer
Suggested for Grades 2-6
Performance time: about 30 minutes
Who are the very best advocates for your school’s music programs? The kids! Advocacy is a continuous process of diligent education to bring awareness about the benefits of music learning to the general public. And, kids can expertly share the joy of music making and learning in a variety of different ways.

The authors worked together to develop a musical revue about the wonder of music. Each of the seven original songs can be performed together as a complete program, or they can be sung in other contexts as well. The 30-minute revue includes piano/vocal arrangements with choreography and short narrations for up to 65 speaking parts. Songs include: “Music Is an Everyday Thing,” “Many Things I Learned I Learned Through Music,” “Playing Music Is Hard Work,” “A Song in My Heart,” “Working Together,” “If I Didn’t Have Music,” “Our Place in the Choir.”

In addition to a musical revue, the second half of the book is focused on strategies, ideas and conversations about the importance of music study in children’s and adolescents’ lives. There are even writing and advocacy activities to engage students in the promotion of the critical role that music plays in their lives. The ten chapters concentrate on attributes of music education and how children benefit from music study highlighted in the Broader Minded Campaign put forth by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME): Decision Making, Grit, Multiple Ways of Knowing, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking, Emotional Awareness, Reflective Learning, and Process Orientation.

About the Author:
Jen Sper has been with Stanton’s since 2006. A former middle school and high school choral director, she holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Baldwin Wallace College Conservatory of Music. An active choral singer and accompanist throughout the Central Ohio area, she also enjoys good food, running (to counteract the good food…) and the Muppets.

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