Thank You and Keep Making Music

We are completing a wonderful year of music making at Fountain Woods School.  Everyone associated with our music program deserves a standing ovation, especially our parents.  Because of you, music is an important and respected academic subject in our school and a vital art form in our community.  Thank you!

Yes, scheduled classes are coming to an end, but summer vacation offers many musical opportunities for your child.  May we suggest:

• Enjoyable, stress free practice time
• Attendance at live concerts to experience new and interesting musical styles
• Solo or ensemble performances at church, civic groups, or family gatherings
• Growth in musical taste and understanding by listening to a variety of music
• Private lessons

You, as a parent, can serve as a surrogate music educator b guiding your child towards musically oriented activities.  Please encourage your child to find some avenue of musical expression and not let his/her artistic language become dormant.  It is the most important gift you can give to your child.

Music is an interactive language.  When one plays or sings, the listener as well as the performer is actively engaged in the exchange.  The weeks ahead can provide an opportunity for your child to be the performer and the listener.  Through this, he/she may may gain a new level of understanding and appreciation of music.

For the returning students, we have exciting plans for the coming year and we anticipate continued positive growth in our music program. 

Thank you again for being a strong advocate of music in our schools and, in particular, for your support of the music department here at Fountain Woods School.

Have a great summer!

"Musical training is a more potent instrument than an other form of education, because rhythm and harmony find their way into the inward places of the soul."        --Plato

                               

                                                                     

Moving to Middle School

Last week guidance counselors from Burlington Township Middle School at Springside met with our 5th grade students about the curriculum and registration procedures for next year.  I feel it is important to communicate with you at this time to encourage you to include orchestra in your child's schedule.

The string program at Fountain Woods has given your child a strong foundation in playing a string instrument.  He/she is now ready to proceed to mastering more complex skills.  The opportunities provided at BTMS will include more advanced technique, a more challenging level of orchestra music as well as various ensemble experiences.

It is not uncommon for a child to be a bit apprehensive about going to a new school.  This is normal and I will do all I can to make it a smooth transition.  It is important to me that your child continues his/her musical development.  I have provided him/her with a good foundation, but now he/she needs to move on and develop skills that will allow them to use music as a vocation or avocation.

Although time spent at BTMS may be quite busy, there is always room in the schedule for orchestra.  Orchestra will help your child maintain continuity in the new school setting.  In addition, the lifelong benefits of music study can continue during this formative time in their life.

As I have observed your children's progress this year, I have seen the enjoyment and pride music has brought to their lives.  It is important that this continue.  Please feel free to contact me if I can assist in any way as you are discussion your child's future.

Many students want to branch out to try other musical opportunities at BTMS.  This is possible.  Mrs. Gross, Mrs. Ferguson and Mr. Huebner are accustomed to having students in multiple ensembles.  If you have specific questions about programming at BTMS, please contact any of us.

Mr. Huebner (Band Director) - rhuebner@burltwpsch.org
Mrs. Gross  (Orchestra Director) - dgross@burltwpsch.org
Mrs. Ferguson (Choir and Show Choir Director) - rferguson@burltwpsch.org

Music In Our Schools Month

March is Music in Our Schools Month!

For years we have known about the joy of listening to and making music, but only recently have we clearly understood the lifelong benefits of music education for every student.  Music unlocks the creative potential of the human mind; it opens the pathway to educational excellence and catapults human thinking to a new level of understanding.  Quality in music learning transfers to quality in all learning.  Numerous studies confirm a consistent correlation between substantive music education and student achievement in other academic subjects, not to mention the musical skills gained through music instruction.

Goals 2000: Educate America Act, makes the arts, by federal law, a core subject in our schools.  We are fortunate in Burlington Township to be in an environment where music is seen as a vital part of our educational community.

No other language can replicate music; it has no substitute, no replacement and no alternative.  Although it has often been compared to everything from the debate club to an athletic team, it is far more.  Music is an art form.  It allows the individual to understand and appreciate the world from a sensitive and emotional perspective.  A school without a prosperous music program is incomplete.

Richard W. Riley, former United States Secretary of Education, stated, "I believe arts education in music, theater, dance and the visual arts is one of the most creative ways we have to find the gold that is buried just beneath the surface.  They [children] have an enthusiasm for life, a spark for creativity, and vivid imaginations that need training...training that prepares them to become confident young men and women."

Music is a source of possibilities; it opens new horizons; it supports imagination, appreciation and sensitivity; it adds a new dimension to life.