Recently, the Runkle PTO hosted Chris Thoft-Brown, Brookline School District’s new curriculum co-ordinator for K-8 Music for a question and answer session with parents regarding the Music Program. Chris was previously a music teacher in the Brookline Public Schools for 6 years, then moved to Florida where he instituted a band program.
Chris provided an overview of current offerings in the music program at Runkle (see below). He also discussed with the parents the communication issues regarding the music program. Parents are not very clear about the program content, timing of events (handouts given to students often don’t make it home via backpack), and who to contact for information. Some proposed solutions to improve communication include creating a website that parents and students can access for information about programming and contact information; accepting invitations such as Runkle PTO’s for meetings with parents; updating parents via PTO email newsletters, wherever possible.
Current offerings in the music program:
While Brookline generally follows State curriculum guidelines, each individual school is quite different in what it offers. A district-wide music program review is underway with the objective of making the offerings across schools consistent. Over the summer, learning expectations will be rewritten as part of the program review.
Grade K-3: students are offered general music. This includes composition, rhythm, singing, notation, reading music, responding to music, and to a certain extent placing music within historical perspective. Students are introduced to instrumental music performance via instruction on recorder within the general music class in third grade.
Grade 4: In addition to general music, all children must learn an instrument, either a band instrument or a string instrument. This is an important part of the curriculum, and is the only year in their K-8 career that all children are together in an ensemble. This is the only year that individual instrument lessons are currently offered.
Grade 5: Children can choose band, orchestra or chorus and continue general music. Not all schools offer a chorus. Children are not required to continue with any instrument. If they wish to participate in band or orchestra, outside lessons are strongly urged, as there is no longer instrumental instruction; rather the class time is ensemble band/orchestra rehearsal. Individual instrumental music lessons are offered after school for a fee, through the Extension program. These lessons are offered by teachers from the Brookline Music School. There is no grade given in band, chorus, or orchestra in 5th grade. Brookline Youth Orchestra is an option at this grade level.
Grade 6: Students can continue with band, chorus, or orchestra, or can opt out of these and take only general music. However, if they do choose a performance course students are graded on their participation. There are disparities among the schools at this level currently: some schools offer sessions twice weekly, some only once.
In 6th grade, given the small nature of the ensembles available within the walls of any one school, town wide band is an option for students. This is a rather unwieldy: transportation from the various schools to a central rehearsal space is problematic, and there is only one brief rehearsal per month. The rehearsals are generally scheduled during early release days so as to avoid having students miss class time. Participation in Townwide Band is required for band students; it is the only way to bring sufficient students together to allow a full ensemble to play appropriate repertoire. Townwide Chorus and Townwide Jazz band are optional. Townwide Chorus entry is by audition.
Concerts for the Runkle 4th, 5th, and 6th grades are in the process of being scheduled for the spring, dates will be announced shortly. Although having a winter and a spring concert for each grade would be optimum, but we are not quite there yet.
In 7th and 8th grade, General Music is the only course offered. Students wishing to continue with Band or Orchestra must participate in Townwide Band, Townwide Jazz Band, or the Brookline Youth Orchestra. Townwide Chorus continues to be an optional offering. In 7th grade, there is a unit on guitar offered during general music class, which meets once per week.
A question came up regarding children who pursue instruments on their own prior to instrument lessons being offered at school. Sometimes these instruments are not available through school, and a student is required to add another instrument. The response was that these students would generally be able to perform well enough with minimal practice on the new instrument at home since they may be relatively more proficient in terms of reading music. Students who are far ahead of his or her peers may be invited to work as a helper to the other students, or consider that class as practice time.
There was some discussion of the possibility of organizing a 6-8th grade choral program at Runkle, which Principal Joe Connelly indicated he intended to investigate and pursue during the course of developing Runkle’s School Improvement Plan.
Who to contact
Chris provided the following list of staff responsible for the music programs at Runkle. All staff can be reached by email using the Brookline schools’ email formula: firstname_lastname@brookline.k12.ma.us (firstname_lastname null@null brookline NULL.k12 NULL.ma NULL.us).
Chorus at Runkle: Stephanie Gardner
Chorus (Townwide): Holly Ahearn, Lawrence School
5th grade band at Runkle: Ryan Moser
6th grade band at Runkle: Bob Christman
Brookline Youth Orchestra (townwide): John Ferguson
6th grade orchestra: John Ferguson
6th grade music at Runkle: Mike Carey
7/8th grade band: Ryan Moser
7/8th grade music: Joe DeMita
District wide music director, High School: Lynn Modell
Some useful links for program information:
http://www.brookline.k12.ma.us/TEACHING (http://www NULL.brookline NULL.k12 NULL.ma NULL.us/TEACHING)+AND+LEARNING/Curriculum+Areas/Perf_Arts/K-8+Performing+Arts+Information.htm
http://www.brookline.k12.ma.us/TEACHING (http://www NULL.brookline NULL.k12 NULL.ma NULL.us/TEACHING)+AND+LEARNING/Curriculum+Areas/Performing+Arts.htm
