Keys to music

 

Fourth graders at Archbold Elementary School explore a piano keyboard Feb. 20 with the help of Dr. Lucia Unrau, a professor and chair of music at Bluffton University. Archbold students can enter the instrumental music program in fifth grade, so Beth Voll, the district’s director of bands and a Bluffton alumna, invited a Bluffton music contingent to introduce the fourth graders to various instruments at the “petting zoo.” Joining Unrau were Dr. Adam Schattschneider, also a professor of music; Dr. Roy Couch, a visiting assistant professor; Dr. Renee Keller, an adjunct percussion instructor; and 10 student members of Bluffton’s chapter of the Ohio Collegiate Music Education Association. Through their efforts, “80 Archbold fourth graders now think that band is a super cool and exciting option for them to explore next year,” Voll said. “They learned that band is valued and an important part of their schooling and community.”

Stories Posted This Week