VH-1 grant bolsters music education at two elementary schools

An occasional giggle or furtive tap of a piano key breaks the silence in Lisa Spencer’s kindergarten music class.

Spencer told her students not to touch their Yamaha keyboards yet, but a few couldn’t contain their excitement.

What could have turned into a chaotic din of key-banging quickly shifts into an organized lesson as Spencer gets her students tapping the black keys of their boards.

Not bad for a first lesson.

The new keyboards were provided to classrooms at Landmark Elementary School and Cloverdale Elementary School through VH-1’s Save the Music Program. Kim Price, a longtime Dothan City Schools music instructor, wrote the grant application for the $40,000 program. Price said both schools fit the program’s mission for making music instruction widely available.

According to Price, both schools have sizable populations of low-income students, and the program may be these students’ only exposure to music education. Price hopes to reapply for the grant next year and get keyboards for five other city schools.

Spencer said music education gives teachers a hands-on, interactive way to teach students about other subjects.

“They’ll be reading, learning history and music is mathematical,” she said. “It also develops fine motor skills and discipline.”

Music education has been making a comeback in the city schools after being cut earlier in the decade because of budget concerns.

Students at Cloverdale and Landmark now get about 30 minutes of music instruction every week. Older students’ lessons will be more in-depth.

“It’s good because it helps teachers find students with an aptitude for music, and they can get them in additional lessons at the Cultural Arts Center or somewhere,” Price said.

Saniah Bristol, a Landmark kindergarten student, could hardly hold back from tapping on the keyboard Wednesday.

“I like it when the teacher tells us we can get on the keyboard,” she said.

Lakia Culver said she intended to practice on a piano at her grandmother’s house.

“I like the pianos, I like playing them,” she said.