Learning Through Music
With a simple reflection exercise at the beginning of class, Middle School orchestra students broadened their music knowledge and their knowledge of the cultural forces that have shaped it through history.
During Black History Month, students started each period by listening to music from a Black composer, then reflecting, engaging in conversation and analysis, and watching a small documentary about the featured artist. To culminate the month, the Middle School orchestra played the spiritual hymn “We Shall Overcome.”
Students are celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander History Month in a similar fashion and preparing for a final concert of music from all over the world. Chamber groups are studying each piece they plan to perform to discover the background and history of the music and composers.
“One concept that really stuck out to me during Black History Month was how difficult it was for Black composers to be successful. They struggled to make it in the music industry simply due to their race, and it truly taught me to be mindful of the struggles that African Americans experience in today's society.”
Listen to Westminster’s Spotify playlist that includes some of the music listened to by Middle Schoolers during Black History Month.
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