Musical Momentum
The sweet sound of piano keys tinkering through the songs Twinkle, Twinkle and Mary Had a Little Lamb filled the Acton environment this week during Core Skills and free-time. Learners have always had access to the music room (Sound Sanctuary) yet this week launched the official Piano Badge series for the Discovery Studio. Two responsible learners gained the privilege to be the first Acton pianists and I had the privilege to observe a moment of their practice and interview them after a partner session.
To explain the process, learners must demonstrate consistent responsibility as an Acton learner and dedication to their Core Skills work in order to earn the privilege of piano time. First, they receive a lesson from their Guide explaining the badge requirements, then they drive their own learning to discover the magical world of music. Daily, learners may use 15 minutes of their Core Skills time to practice piano. The completion of the badge has a lot of musical requirements but the big excitement is the opportunity to perform for peers! Currently there are 3 Piano Badge levels and counting and for you curious parents we are using the self-teaching Piano-K books by Victoria Mandly.
This week I observed these 2 lucky learners work together during a free-time partner practice session. What I heard filled my heart and ears with joy! Here were just a few of the gems:
“You made a mistake, just brush it off, that’s how you learn” “Do you think you’re ready to do this next line?” “I’m good at this line but this line needs work.” “How about Mary Had a Little Lamb, should that be our goal next?”
I said nothing and was absolutely blown away by their growth mindset language, self-evaluation, goal-setting ability, and abundant problem solving skills! Music isn’t just an add-on, a fun thing to do, it’s an opportunity to practice and apply core skills that will last a lifetime. It can be fun too but fun and learning to learn, do, and be are not separate.
I asked these learners to stop by the office when they were done. They came by beaming with glowing big smiles. My first question “How are you two feeling?” They shared “Great! Music always makes me have joy.” I asked them to share how and why they got the privilege of piano this week and they thoroughly walked me through the earning steps and how they loved earning privileges as prizes. One learner had a few piano lessons in the past and so I asked her “Which do you like better, learning piano on your own with this badge or learning piano with a piano teacher?” She immediately shared “I like it on my own, I don’t really like someone telling me do this or do that. I can’t keep up always.” These two Acton pianists were bursting with excitement, pride, and curiosity for the next songs to learn and what the next piano levels might include.
A few more gems that they shared with me were “I don’t have much experience but I really like it, it’s really fun!” “My last run through was sooo good, I improved so much!” Music and the arts at Acton are not only beautiful forms of expression, the arts are creative drivers for learning. Creativity isn’t just turned on or gifted to a few people, creativity is nurtured and flows fluidly through our day, especially the days at Acton.
In my favorite words of Maya Angelou, “You can’t use up creativity, the more you use the more you have.”