Tuesday, December 21, 2010 Engaging students in the arts creates meaningful experiences and allows children to discover the joy in learning...this is one of the basic tenets behind the work of Gateway to the Arts. We also know that music education provides creative opportunities that foster respect, teamwork and cooperation. However, it is one thing to read about these benefits and another thing to see arts learning in action. In the case of Jeff Berman’s artist residency at Gateway School District’s Moss Side Middle, hearing is believing.
For the second consecutive year, percussionist Jeff Berman has been working with the fifth and sixth grade students in Mrs. Spina and Ms. Molnar’s music classes as an artist-in residence, partially funded by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Each year, the Council provides funds that assist hundreds of Pennsylvania schools to support curriculum, enrich the important work of arts educators, and provide additional opportunities for students to explore and develop their creative abilities. Leading them in ensembles with Tubano drums and metallophones, Berman demonstrated how to play and control the different instruments to create different rhythms and polyrhythms, as well as introduced regional styles of world drumming and the aesthetic concepts involved in creating music with the instruments.
While all students in both grades participated, a number of students opted to join a “core group” of students, who received extra, intensive sessions with Berman, a professional musician rostered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. “This core group has formed a special bond – they are so proud of what they accomplished with Jeff. When I have them in General Music Class, these students are the ones who have shown maturity, responsibility, and a true love for making music,” says Alexis Spina, “In addition, they have more patience and respect for the musical learning process.”
Beyond the core group, the sixth graders were able to build upon their experiences from last year. “Their basic skills were already in place and Jeff could start them at a more advanced level,” said Spina. “As a result, they are now playing rhythms, phrases, and tempos that they would have never been able to play last year.”
“I really enjoyed learning all of the different ways you can use your hands to drum and all of the different sounds you can make with your hands,” said Maddie Hansmann, a sixth-grader from the core group. “I learned a lot from this experience with Mr. Berman. Most importantly, I learned how to follow a conductor. I also learned how to play exactly what he wanted me to play, by watching him.”
After each session, students reflected on the “graffiti walls” about their experiences. The students spoke of creativity and imagination, of dynamics and polyrhythms, of beats and breaks and of enjoying the challenge. They also spoke physical challenge – their hands hurt! View the comments.
Playing, listening, working as group, rising to the challenge of something new are all beneficial aspects of the artist-in-residency experience for the young musicians. But for Berman one highlight of the residency was a specific moment with a sixth grade student he’d also worked with last year. “He didn’t want to participate. He would play briefly, look bored, put his head down and check out.” During one session this year he nudged him with some extra one-on-one attention and suddenly saw his face light up with recognition. “He got it! He was transformed, in that moment.” After that the student stayed involved for the rest of the session and for the first time wrote on the reflection wall. Berman was moved not just by the ability of music to reach the students, but the “happiness and affirmation” of this student over his previous frustration.
In the past, Moss Side Middle school had regularly scheduled performance programs for the students. “We realized that the students would have a much more meaningful experience if they worked one-on-one with a musician, instead of sitting in a large group listening to music,” says Spina. “With the residency component, students are able to work in small group settings and actually create music during every session.”
The students were able to show off their news skills at a holiday concert for family and friends last night at the school. Assistant Principal, Mr. Michael Matteo who would often sit in and participate in drumming sessions during the residency, said “As a school administrator, I’m so impressed with how Gateway to the Arts programs foster learning across the curriculum and Mr. Berman’s work is truly exceptional.”
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency in the Office of the Governor. It receives funding through an annual state appropriation and from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.