Media Relations, Adair County Schools
Adair County Primary Center and Adair County Elementary School are closing out national Music in Our Schools Month with a full week of music-related activities, games, performances, introductions to instruments, and the always-popular opportunities to dress in unusual outfits.
“The kids always get a big kick out of dressing up, especially when the teachers get in on it too,” explains ACPC music teacher Laura Marcum. “It’s always interesting to see their interpretation of the styles from past decades.”
Both schools have designated each day of the week with a theme related to the genre or time period of music history the students will learn about that day, and students are encouraged to dress the part. Monday was Country/Western Day; Tuesday is for the 1950s; Wednesday is 1960s and 70s Day; Thursday, 1980s and 90s; and Friday will focus on music of the 21stcentury.
ACES music teacher Paula Bault says music education is important in young students’ academic development in other, seemingly-unrelated pursuits. “My kids have been doing research and learning about the importance of music, like how playing an instrument helps built coordination, and how learning to read music makes them more fluid readers,” Bault says. “Increases in music education have led to increases in testing scores.”
Activities will continue this week at both schools, with a dance performance at ACPC Thursday morning and a hero-themed musical performance at ACES Thursday afternoon. “The message is: We need you to step up and be a hero so we can step up and be heroes too,” Bault says. “[ACHS music teacher] Ginna Marsh is our co-director and we’re really excited for the kids to perform.”
The week will wrap up with a student-produced musical light show at ACPC Friday morning. “The students are really looking forward to it,” Marcum says. “It should be fun.”