By Danielle Howard | Program Coordinator
Hello friends of JOY!
Since we last checked in with you at the beginning of February, a lot has changed. As I sit here writing, my heart is not only heavy with the closures and lives lost to COVID-19, but also the long list of black lives lost in the last month and acts of violence by the police. Being an adult opens the eyes to so much pain in the world and it’s programs like JOY that have kept the light on in this uncertain time.
Like many music programs, we had to stop in-person instruction starting on March 12 as per orders by the Oregon State government and shift to teaching strings on an online platform. Many of you are probably wondering “How is that even possible?” To that, here’s what we did:
After coordinating with Newberg School District and Edwards Elementary, our Kinder and First Grade In-School violin students were able to continue receiving regular violin instruction online. Since mid-April, Site Director and Violin Teaching Artist Julia Pridavka has been recording two videos a week for our students. Topics have included how-to’s on creating box violins at home as well as reviewing songs and skills that our students have learned in class. Many thanks to Principal Scott Murphy and Music Specialist Janis Dodson for getting us involved with the Newberg School District Elementary Music team to get this off the ground!
Our After-School Orchestra started off with receiving instruction videos hand crafted by our Teaching Artist team that were uploaded to a shared Google Classroom. Every week, videos explaining how to play pieces from our class book String Explorer was uploaded and designed with the intention that students can listen and play along as they were able. Since April, we have added private video lessons with our students once every couple weeks to help supplement their learning and to be able to check in with how our kids are doing. We’ve also alternated lesson time with section group game time so our students can still see their friends. In a few days, we are going to have a virtual JOY Orchestra Party over Google Hangout so our students can see their friends and that we end the school year with a bang!
As we look ahead to the next year, we have started sending out enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year. We are so excited to have both Second and Third grades represented in our after-school orchestra and to make JOY grow at Edwards! We aren’t sure what orchestra will look like in Fall 2020, but knowing that we work with a supportive school, passionate Teaching Artists, and a supportive parent community makes me certain that we can do this.
As I have been conversing with parents and students through lessons and making impromptu social-distancing instrument repairs, they have told me how important it meant that we continued doing lessons despite COVID-19 closures. For many of our kids, even routinely seeing the face of a teacher has been enough to keep our students invested and hopeful about school and life. It’s programs like ours that become ever so important in the midst of crisis and I believe that is often overlooked by our culture. Music doesn’t just create beauty, but it also creates community and fosters support that keeps people whole.
Despite the pain of this world, I hope that this news brings you JOY.
With a JOY-ful heart,
Danielle Howard
Links:
By Danielle Howard | Program Coordinator, JOY Orchestra
By Danielle Howard | Program Coordinator, JOY
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