Hermiston schools recognized for dedication to music
Published 5:00 pm Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Shrinking school budgets have short-changed or even eliminated music from the curriculum in many schools, but not in the Hermiston School District.
The district has kept at least one music teacher in each school, which is part of the reason why the National Association of Music Merchants named it one of Oregon’s four best communities for music education in 2014. The association gave Best Community for Music Education Award to 376 districts nationwide that “set the bar in offering students access to comprehensive music education.”
Sarah Milburn, the music teacher at West Park Elementary, said keeping music programs alive in schools is important.
“It gives kids a creative outlet,” she said. “Sometimes the kids who don’t do so well in reading or math can do really well in a music class. Plus it’s fun.”
She said one of the main things that attracted her to Hermiston School District was the fact that she could spend all day teaching in the same classroom rather than jumping from school to school like most music teachers do now. She also liked that elementary school students get either 60 or 90 minutes of music instruction a week, depending on the semester, instead of the half hour many students get these days.
Milburn said Hermiston’s five elementary music teachers meet together once a week, as do the secondary teachers, to share strategies that are working well in the classroom and set goals.
“The teamwork here is definitely a plus,” she said.
At the high school level, Hermiston has preserved a number of offerings beyond the generic “choir” or “band.” Hermiston High School offers four choirs, six bands/ensembles and a music appreciation class. The district’s two middle schools each have their own music teachers who offer students the opportunity to learn how to play an instrument or read choral music.
Those types of staffing decisions played a factor in the National Association of Music Merchants’ decision honor Hermiston School District with an award. Beyond the amount of resources directed toward music programs, the association also listed highly qualified teachers, a commitment to standards and widespread access to music instruction as criteria for the award. Culver School District, David Douglas School District and Newberg School District were the other Oregon districts recognized.
Several studies have shown that music education, especially at a young age, improves children’s language skills, IQ and spatial intelligence. A 2007 study by a professor of music education at the University of Kansas found students in schools with “superior” music education programs scored up to 22 percent higher on standardized tests in math and reading than students in schools with similar demographics but low-quality music programs.
Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536.
This story originally appeared in East Oregonian.
