Recently Mid-Prairie schools were the recipients of a $25,000 grant from the Washington County Riverboat Foundation. A grant which allowed them to purchase instruments for beginning fifth grade band members through experienced high school musicians. The list of instruments is impressive as it includes tubas, saxophones, trumpet, an oboe and assorted percussion instruments. This allows students to play on instruments which will fine tune their talents as they move through the years as musicians at M-P. Led by such directors as Norman Brooks, Becky Curtis and David Kunz, for year's students have had top-notch leaders from which to grow.
But new instruments do not just help a child to grow musically. In fact it has been found that music in a child's life is beneficial in a number of ways. I discovered a publication called SAVE THE MUSIC in which researchers proved that a solid relationship exists between a student's academic achievement success (reading, math, SAT scores etc) and their social development skills (self discipline, self esteem, and ability to work well with others for examples). Simply said, the benefits of music within a student's life extends far past the rehearsal room. It reaches into classroom experience as well.
The National Association for Music Education goes so far as to state: "Music education=brain Power" by following students in two Ohio schools to measure student's creativity levels. Their study found that those students who are involved in musical activities have a creativity level of four times that of a student who is not involved with music in some way. It should also be noted, that researchers also believe this creativity extends beyond music to other fine arts programs as well in helping students grow, especially in areas of social development and self esteem.
Simply said, the gift the Riverboat Foundation gave in their generous grant of $25,000 will benefit musicians for many years, not just in their band experiences but in their own lives and in gaining success in life as well.
As one student commented while holding his new instrument, "I feel so proud to be able to use this instrument. It makes me feel so special and I just know it's going to play as great as it looks!"
What better way to start a musical career or extend one that is already blossoming, than being handed a bright shining instrument and being told......"play on!"