Parry Town Joins Music and Learning Programme

Music teachers from a number of St James schools involved in the Music, Perfect Pitch for a Sound Education programme, recently acted as mentors to the newest addition, Parry Town Primary and Junior High, located in Ocho Rios, St Ann.

A two-day music workshop was held in Mandeville, Manchester, by the programme's organiser, First Global Bank (FGB), in partnership with the Ministry of Education where the teachers sought to brief the newcomers while welcoming them on board.

Katanya Parkinson-Edwards of Bickersteth Primary and Infant encouraged the new school to try as best as possible to integrate music in their lesson plan.

INTEGRATING MUSIC

"Integrate the music in the literacy and numeracy lessons," said Parkinson-Edwards, whose school was among the first six in the pilot project which began in October 2011.

"If you realise that the children are interested in particular instruments, then let them play with them, but understand that it is not just about playing the instrument and singing, as learning has to be involved," she further explained.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Maxine Brodber, the music teacher at Farm Primary and Junior High, who urged her colleagues at Parry Town to let music aid in driving the curriculum.

Silica Sutherland, music teacher at the John Rollins Success Primary School added, "Music is used to express every feeling, so we should tap into that for learning. Use the children's experiences with music to aid in the classroom," she urged.

Christina Parkes, Parry Town's grade-three teacher, said she was excited that her school has enrolled in the programme.

The project is aimed at students at the grade-three level in integrating music with numeracy and literacy to better enable them to learn.

More than 40 teachers and principals from 13 schools across the island attended the workshop where the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, a new addition to the project, was unveiled.