District drums up interest in new music curriculum
BY TALI ISRAELI
Staff Writer

MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Marlboro Memorial Middle School sixth-graders Jordan Mankes and Jane Posner show their percussion skills during a session of the new World Music Drumming program.

By Tali Israeli

MARLBORO - Students were shaking things up last week during an introduction to a new music program involving drums.

On Oct. 6 pupils at the Marlboro Early Learning Center, the Asher Holmes Elementary School and the Marlboro Memorial Middle School were introduced to the newest component of the K-8 district's music curriculum.

The World Music Drumming program uses percussion instruments to teach students rhythm, sound and music; it will also teach students the impact music has on different cultures.

Instruments including talking drums, bongos, hand drums, Senor Kelly shakers, claves, maracas and cowbells will be used to help support the hands-on approach to teaching pupils about the music of Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, India, the Middle East and other drumming traditions throughout the world.

In addition to drumming, the curriculum fulfills national and New Jersey core curriculum standards for fine and performing arts through singing, improvising, listening and learning about other cultures, according to a press release provided by the district.

The program brings together elements of social studies, language arts, math and dance, according to the release.

"The need to present meaningful multicultural education has never been as great as it is today. Enriching the lives of students through arts education is key to the development of the whole child," Victoria Andalucia, curriculum supervisor, said in the release. "By providing an instructional method that adds a new dimension to cultural and musical awareness, the World Music Drumming program engages elementary and middle school students in a cross-cultural learning experience through the use of a variety of easy-to-play hand percussion instruments."

The World Music Drumming program was created by Will Schmid, the previous president of the MENC: National Association for Music Education, the author of the district's newly adopted music textbook program, the 2005 Silver Burdett Making Music series.

The Marlboro Educational Foundation has supported the program with grants of $5,000 a year for three years.