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Don’t Let The Music Stop!

April 7, 2020 | Jessica Smith

At the end of this week, students will have successfully have completed four weeks of music ONLINE!

In the first week of online studies, students thought about an issue that was important to them and then created an artistic statement about that issue. This was the culmination of our West Side Story unit. (Yes, I still have the 66 tickets we never used. I can’t seem to throw them away.) During this unit, we considered how artists make statements with their craft. Students made artistic statements through art, music, writing, and poetry. There were so many beautiful and thoughtful creations in the midst of such a hard week. It was impressive.

After the first week online, we began a composition study around composing a melody that is singable and memorable. Students have begun to use Noteflight, an online music composition software. They have learned to navigate to Noteflight both through their browser and through google classroom.

Last week, we had our first live music class on Zoom. It was so wonderful to see students — even just on a screen. Students are adjusting to this new reality and I’m excited to see and hear their melodic compositions as we continue.

Jessica Smith

Music Teacher, Preschool and Grades 6-8; Worship Coordinator

With more than 20 years experience teaching music in a variety of settings from elementary to college, Dr. Jessica Smith has a deep love for music education, integrated arts curriculum, world music, and worship.
In 2017, Smith traveled to Ghana to study West African drumming and dance as part of a fellowship from Fund for Teachers. In 2015, she completed four years of training to become a Guild Certified Feldenkrais™ Practitioner, a method that uses neuroscience and movement as a catalyst for potent learning. As a clinician, Smith has led workshops in vocal studies and drum circle facilitation. Before coming to Mustard Seed School in 2008, Smith was the Director of Preparatory & Continuing Studies at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music where she also served as a Visiting Professor.

Dr. Smith enjoys traveling and spending too much money on plants at the Union Square Greenmarket.

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