San Diego musician and educator, Phil Rowley, brings the “cool” back to music class.  Working with the Museum to develop original curriculum, Phil teaches almost thirty music classes per week at the school.

The music program at Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary School is a unique multi-year museum/school partnership that seeks to provide a systemic music education to the 800+ students at the school.  This program features weekly music instruction, lessons in music history, and hands-on experience with dozens of instruments.

In addition to music history and theory, each grade focuses on a different instrument.  The fifth graders learn guitar, fourth graders learn ukulele, third graders learn percussion, and second graders focus on world music.  First graders and kindergartners are exposed to a medley of musical activities laying the foundation for the coming years.

This is a multi-year program designed to create happier, healthier and more well rounded students.  It inspires students to find their place in music and gives them the confidence to try new things.  Each year, new skills are developed and existing skills are strengthened.  For example, the third graders who learn the recorder will enter fourth grade understanding music notation and with the dexterity to play an instrument.  These skills will transfer as they learn the ukulele and continue to grow as they pursue the guitar in fifth grade.  This level of skill building can be found at each grade level.

The Museum oversees the curriculum and teaching staff and provides unprecedented access to our instrument collection.  Throughout the year, artifacts are brought into the classroom for an interactive lesson about the instrument.  Traditional instruments such as the violin and trumpet are explored as well as world instruments like the cajón and djembe.  This provides an additional layer of learning which is unique to this program.

Student feedback has been positive:

“This year in music class I learned many things.  One thing that I learned was if you have a small instrument you will get a high pitch and with a big instrument you will get a low pitch.”

“I learned that the flute is a woodwind and is played many ways.  Also that many woodwinds use a reed but the flute is one that doesn’t.”

“We learned families of instruments like the percussion, strings, brass and woodwinds.  We also were taught how to play the instruments. “

“The viola is part of the string family.  You use a bow pulled across the strings.  The bow can be made out of horse hair.”

“My favorite thing in music is the tambourine because I like the sounds of the bells.  Another thing I liked were the drums because they have a soft sound.  I also learned about the cowbells.”