Teachers make a ruckus for education

BURBANK — A group of elementary school teachers had fun breaking library rules on Wednesday morning as they banged on drums and hummed kazoos.

The 60 teachers gathered in the Joaquin Miller Elementary School library for a workshop on music education. The seminar — part of the Burbank Unified School District’s Arts for All Program — was one of four that took place to immerse kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers.

“Music is a great tool because kids don’t get stressed because they see it as something fun,” said Jenny Chung, who teaches kindergarten at Ralph Emerson Elementary School. “But they are really learning lessons through the activities. It is truly a painless way of teaching.”

Los Angeles Music Center educator Aimee Young Hopkins provided hands-on ways to incorporate music into their curriculum.

Teachers danced around the corridors of the room waving neon-pink, yellow and orange scarves and played “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on kazoos.

The two exercises help calm students down after recess, teach rhythm and resonance of sound, as well as reinforcing good behavior, Hopkins said.

“A lot of kids do reading at home, and they don’t have access to music,” said Kathy Wills, who teaches kindergarten at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School. “So it really gives our students a unique and fresh approach to the school experience.”

Los Angeles County began the Arts for All Program in 2001 to enhance arts education.

In 2005, the Burbank Unified School District’s Board of Education became one of six participating districts, arts coordinator Peggy Flynn said.

Funding so far has been provided by state grants, the board’s general funds and donations from the Burbank Arts Education Foundation, a nonprofit started to raise money for the program, Flynn said.

The workshop, the second full-day training held for teachers since the district implemented the program, showed teachers how to fit music into their daily lesson plans, she said.

Hopkins discussed other ways that teachers could use music in the classroom, such as having students play along with instruments to contemporary music.

“I think it is awesome that Burbank is showing such a strong commitment to the arts,” Hopkins said. “It is setting an example for other districts to follow. Music education is important for so many reasons . . . it teaches kids about culture, helps them connect with languages and learn about their own kinesic body development.”

Arts is an essential piece to student learning, said Judy Hession, principal of Miller Elementary School.

“Research shows that students have a higher achievement if they are exposed to music and the arts,” Hession said. “So we are thrilled that the district is making an effort to really bring the arts back into our schools.”