Principals are extremely test-score oriented. My initial skepticism was not based on the arts, but I wanted them to show me how this would impact learning . What she discovered pleased her - the school and the Symphony were working toward the same goal. The musicians understood clearly what the state required of students in terms of standard course of study objectives, and the teachers worked closely with them as they devised lessons plans that would complement levels of instruction. I saw a lot of partnership . . .
Students are active participants in the learning process.
While simply reading a story or writing to a prompt may be enough for some, the vast majority of our students need more. They identify setting, plot, character, conflict and resolution. These elements are then related to music, and the students experiment with different instruments. The arts allows students to express themselves according to their learning styles. The children were allowed to express themselves through dance, singing, drama presentations - all geared toward the same end result, and that, of course, was reading and writing stories.