Don’t Stop the Music Jaden’s Growth Through Music Class at HIS Mrs. Nicholls
28 Pacific Union Recorder
J
aden’s strengths are in bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. He is very good with horses and intelligent in sports, but general academics have been a challenge for him. At Holbrook Indian School (HIS), as in many schools around the world, students like Jaden are not uncommon. HIS music teacher Olga Nicholls seems to have found one method that has helped Jaden see improvement in a specific academic area outside of his natural affinity—learning music. Through donor support of the music program, Jaden has gone from showing little to no participation or enthusiasm in singing or classroom engagement to now singing out loud and helping Nicholls in music class. In general, kids love music, especially the little ones, but there are some cases where a student’s personality type and background can be a deterrent. “From my observation, students who have a lack of exposure to music tend to struggle to be engaged,” Nicholls said. Music can be fun, but learning the finer points like rhythm, timing, and pitch is where learning music challenges one’s ability.
Holbrook Indian School
