2 minute read
YMU Brings Digital Beats to SC Summer Camp
YMU Instructor, Kierra Gray, recently got the opportunity to teach a virtual Digital Beats Class to an SC summer camp and shared her experience:
"Each week, I met with the students and taught them how to make beats. We talked about what a beat is, the 4 parts of a beat, and techniques to grab and keep a listener's attention. We also talked about how Science, Math, and ELA relate to music. The students learned different rhythms and enjoyed doing music math. We talked about sound waves and how vibrations help us hear music. We even dived into songwriting and learned the basic structure of a song.
Advertisement
My favorite part of this experience though was starting each class with a review of what the students had learned so far. The amount of information that kids can remember is honestly astounding. I think it's easy to forget how intelligent our students are because of their age, but teaching this class was a good reminder that a child can learn anything if you deliver it to them in a way they understand. And this goes beyond music. I try to teach my students other important soft skills during class as well. If they turn in a music theory assignment that's not 100% correct, we'll go over it in class and I'll have them tell me what they did incorrectly and they'll correct it. This teaches them that it's okay to make mistakes, but it's also okay to correct them.
I loved seeing the growth in my Digital Beats students. It inspired me to keep teaching. At the end of each class before saying "Bye!" they would say "Thank you!!" This showed me how uniquely powerful the impact of music is. Not every kid is going to become the next great legend, but music may inspire them to start a band that teaches them discipline. Or it may inspire them to help pay for college with a music scholarship. You honestly never know. Regardless though, I want to say thank you to the students at Universal Leadership and Stem Academy! You reminded me that simply teaching a music class can still make a powerful impact.
Contact us below for information on how your school or organization can partner with YMU. 1-844-YMU-NOW-1 INFO@THEYOUNGMUSICIANSUNIVERSITY.COM WWW.YMUNOW.COM
