2021-2022 School Year
Nicholas County Elementary School - Carlisle, KY
Prior to the 2021-2022 school year, Nicholas County Elementary School in Carlisle, KY had not had offered general music courses to its student body in over ten years. I started in the school in August of 2021 with a focus in establishing a program - not just a set of music classes. This included teaching weekly lessons promoting music literacy to the entire student body, hosting general music concerts, and establishing and directing the Bluejacket Singers, an after school choir (consisting of 4th, 5th and 6th grade students) which rated Distinguished at the 2022 Kentucky Music Educators Association District 8 Choral Assessment.
The curricular focus of my general music courses for the 2021-2022 school year was teaching music literacy skills while providing a joyous environment for students to experience and discover musical concepts. With the Kodály philosophy of music education as the framework for our courses, students went from having little prior musical knowledge to singing, playing, dictating, and composing music themselves.
In addition to their Distinguished rating from KMEA, the Bluejacket Singers performed more than 10 times in their community and beyond. This included winter and spring concerts, performing the National Anthem at the championship game of the KHSAA 38th District Girls Basketball Tournament and at the grand opening of the Nicholas County Judicial Center, and a performance at the Kings Island Trills and Thrills Music Festival in Wilmington, OH, for which they earned a Superior rating.
NCES students in the 6th grade were given the opportunity to join the Nicholas County Beginning Band, a first for the band program in a number of years. Beginning band students performed four concerts throughout the school year, and learned the basics of tone production, rhythm reading, and intonation.
Overall - still in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic and overcoming its numerous challenges - Nicholas County Elementary School was afforded a successful year of general music courses and extracurricular musical opportunities. This year has provided the foundation and framework for NCES to continue to have a successful music program for years to come.
The curricular focus of my general music courses for the 2021-2022 school year was teaching music literacy skills while providing a joyous environment for students to experience and discover musical concepts. With the Kodály philosophy of music education as the framework for our courses, students went from having little prior musical knowledge to singing, playing, dictating, and composing music themselves.
In addition to their Distinguished rating from KMEA, the Bluejacket Singers performed more than 10 times in their community and beyond. This included winter and spring concerts, performing the National Anthem at the championship game of the KHSAA 38th District Girls Basketball Tournament and at the grand opening of the Nicholas County Judicial Center, and a performance at the Kings Island Trills and Thrills Music Festival in Wilmington, OH, for which they earned a Superior rating.
NCES students in the 6th grade were given the opportunity to join the Nicholas County Beginning Band, a first for the band program in a number of years. Beginning band students performed four concerts throughout the school year, and learned the basics of tone production, rhythm reading, and intonation.
Overall - still in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic and overcoming its numerous challenges - Nicholas County Elementary School was afforded a successful year of general music courses and extracurricular musical opportunities. This year has provided the foundation and framework for NCES to continue to have a successful music program for years to come.