PAMELA COTANT
To the state journal
Music classes conducted by an organization focused on young learners who might otherwise not have access to lessons and instruments ended when the boy turned to the instructor and said he wanted to play the violin.
“Well,” I said, “Do you want to keep playing now” because it’s time for the class to leave the room, “said instructor Bonnie Greene.
But the boy in the second grade kept looking down the road.
“He said,” That’s what I want to do when I grow up, “said Greene.
The exchange took place during a class taught by Harmony Madison last month during the residency program at Leopold Elementary School. It was part of the first year of the Madison School District Summer Academy of Arts, offering opportunities to learn visual and performing arts.
Residence programs for grades one through five are provided through existing programs operated by Madison School and Community Recreation. While Harmony Madison was one such residency, other elementary sites featured other residency programs in dance, visual arts, and theater.
Mendeecees Cabell-Stevenson, a 4K student, plays the drums and Laurie Lang keeps time.
Extended offers for sixth through twelfth grades were conducted at three high school facilities – Cherokee, O’Keeffe and Wright.
In collaboration with Madison community members, businesses, and local artists, the district seeks to offer arts programs in performing arts, digital music and media production, acting, theater, and more.
“We especially wanted to access the students invited to the Summer School because those students need and deserve a rewarding link to the school curriculum that arts can bring,” said Peter Kuzma, Madison School District Arts Education Coordinator.
While summer activities were in the morning, the Summer Academy of Fine Arts was in the afternoon and was free for registered students.
“That’s funny,” said first class Khloe Jones of the violin class.
Second-grader Anyelly Castillo Salguero said she would continue to play the violin if she had another chance.
Thanya Moreno helps second-year student Anyelly Castillo Salguero play violin at Leopold Elementary School.
Harmony Madison has been awarded a contract to run a residency program in Leopold. The organization intends to offer music lessons earlier than students can start in school and build a solid foundation for more students to succeed in learning music in more advanced school and community groups. It also wants to connect students with organizations that can provide productivity and private tuition opportunities beyond what schools can provide.
Greene is the founder of Music Makers, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing private, high-quality music instruction primarily to low-income children that is currently run by the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras. Music Makers has been invited to participate in a residency program with Madison Conservatory. The residence was an opportunity to connect with students through organizations that were set up to provide tutoring and instruments.
Ria Hodgson, director of WYSO Music Makers, taught during the residency. Its organization offers tutoring and group classes with available surcharges. She said that one of the parents had already contacted the child to arrange bass lessons.
During the two-week residency at Harmony Madison, the students had three 45-minute sessions a day, with the exception of two days of field trips. They learned to play the violin, studied the history of music, getting to know the diddley bow, explored the world’s rhythms on buckets and African drums, explored jazz improvisation, melody, harmony and rhythm with group singing.
Harmony Madison teachers – Greene, Laurie Lang and Chris Wagoner – were joined by other colleagues and volunteers.
The residence was the first program offered by an organization officially called Harmony Madison of Community Organizations Promoting the Arts, or COPA. The director is Steve Sveum. Some of the new opportunities may be in a facility currently used by COPA until a new one is built. Part of the motivation and approach stems from research into the effectiveness of learning music for brain development, which helps people learn reading and math skills, Greene said.
“Harmony Madison’s mission is to offer music lessons and performance opportunities to the young people of the Madison area,” said Greene. “It’s access to art.”
Every Monday, the Wisconsin State Journal presents a story about science in the state of Wisconsin. Here are the School Spotlight stories from last year.
