Open House Helps Parents Understand Music Class Better

I've never done anything in particular for Music In Our School's Month (MIOSM) but I thought the time was right this year. Our district is still committed to the arts, but we're getting more and more new students who have never had music, and that's gotten my attention.

So this week is Open House in the music room. Each student wrote their parents an invitation to join them for music class. I had very low expectations, but there have been at least four parents in every class, even more in kindergarten and first grades. I'm not doing anything special, just the regular lesson. I introduce the parents as new students, and they do whatever we do. It's been a whole lot of fun, if a little stressful. (My room is always a mess, and at least twice a day I lose the CD I desperately need, searching frantically while 35 children wiggle and jiggle, only to find it in my hand.) The classes that never behave are seeing a different side of me, as I stretch my patience beyond the normal limit, and parents are seeing their kids and their kids' friends in natural light. It's been good all around.

The mom of a fourth grader was surprised to see how far behind he was in recorder. I'd written home a month or so ago, but he'd told her everything was fine. Turns out it wasn't. She'll be bringing him in time for tutoring now, instead of 15 minutes after the bell rings. The parents also seem surprised that not every grade does the same thing.

We have to do whatever we can to involve the parents in what we teach, not just how well we entertain. I think we do a disservice to elementary fine arts when we focus too much on performing. Parents and administrators can easily be deceived into thinking that's why we're here.