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Objectives of ART’s School Music Program: * Upgrade environmental education, with a special focus on sustainability; * Increase student interest in ecological issues and recycling; * Bring more music and singing into schools; * Raise funds for special school projects; and * Provide students an opportunity to take part in a concert and radio broadcast. |
The Voices of Nature School Music Program is an integrated educational program that the Artist Response Team Inc. (ART) has developed, using music as a cross-curricular approach to teaching children about the environment. Subject areas include science, social studies, language arts, fine arts, math and physical education. Overview of the Voices of Nature School Music Program - PDF Download |
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| Program Overview | Students waiting ever so patiently to sing songs with Holly. |
The Voices of Nature team works closely together with schools to tailor this
integrated program to the unique needs and wants of each school community.
Whether you are looking for a basic program, a cool school-wide theme, or a
community event, ART can provide a full range of supports and linkages to other
community resources that can help enrich your school’s Voices of Nature
experience. Here’s an overview of our basic VON School Program:
- VON team meets with the school to select a program of songs from ART’s current catalogue of music CDs.
- Three performing groups are formed—
Group 1: little kids, Group 2: middle kids, and Group 3: big kids.
Each group learns two songs appropriate for their age. Everyone learns two mass songs that are performed together by the whole school. Through the program, each student learns four new songs.
- Teachers introduce the songs to students, review new vocabulary, and play the CDs. Rehearsal CDs are made up for each classroom. Students sing along and memorize the lyrics.
- Educational handbooks provide activities linked to song lyrics that fulfill prescribed learning outcomes. The Cycle of Life/Recycle handbook links recycling of beverage containers with reducing ecological footprint and protecting habitat for endangered species. The Salish Sea handbook focuses on marine conservation. Activities deepen student understanding of song lyrics; and the music and song facilitates learning in science, social studies, language arts, PE, etc. Both handbooks are provincially recommended resources for B.C.’s K-7 Science Curriculum.
- Songbooks are available with piano scores, guitar chords and lyrics so that songs can be rehearsed in school with an accompanist.
- Four-day workshop with Holly. Holly personally spends a week with each school, working directly with students and staff to rehearse the show. Holly sings for 40-60 minutes with each group every day—first thing in the morning, after recess, and after lunch.
- Song introductions and Reader’s Theatre scripts are written by students for presentation in the concert.
- The final concert is presented for the whole school community and celebrates students’ learning about the environment through music. The concert is recorded for the Voices of Nature Radio Show, which runs every week for 30 minutes on Village 900 AM in Victoria, B.C.
- Concert ticket sales and/or CDs can be used as a fundraiser for your school.