Much research has shown that music enhances learning. Music has been researched in academic terms from listening to classical orchestras in the womb to music in the classroom. Washington University has taken music education one-step further.
Throughout the month of July, the University will be hosting a summer institute for high school educators. The program will introduce the teachers to using jazz in their curriculum. Jazz began in the 1900s and has continued to be very popular in America.
The idea is to inform teachers that the history of jazz can be used to help students expand their knowledge of social, cultural, and political aspects. Not only music and arts teachers are invited to attend. The program will consists of teachers from English, history, literature, social studies, art, and music disciplines.
The teachers will be taught by some of America’s finest jazz scholars. They will learn how to create lesson plans and activities that involve the use of jazz.
Gerald Early, the founder of the program, received a $220,000 grant to put his idea into motion. He believes that jazz can help the children learn and understand themselves as well as about the American culture. Students will not only learn what jazz is, but also the effects that it has had on our society and history.
As educators, it is sometimes easy to get stuck in a rut and narrow mind of thinking about how we must teach. Programs like these are great for helping teachers develop new ideas and expand on methods of relaying information to children.
In addition to teaching the basic subjects, it is also important for children to learn about our culture and our society’s history. In today’s world, many children are unaware of their background and the steps that were taken to create the society that we now know. Classes such as the one designed by Early can help teachers learn how to educate their students about these issues and help the children gain an appreciation for America.
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