According to music education experts, learning to play music improves students’ cognitive and noncognitive skills more than twice as much as sports, theater, or dance. Music study is linked to academic achievement, including improvement in verbal memory, literacy, and spatial learning. But for the kids at Westfield Intermediate School, playing in the band is just cool.
“I’m trying to foster joy,” says William Choe, band director at WIS. And he seems to be succeeding: The band program at WIS is growing in popularity. More than one-third of the student population at WIS plays in the school band, with 247 students playing last year. More kids are starting to play instruments compared with years past, and fewer students are dropping out along the way. It’s an eight-year commitment, notes Will.
With five performances throughout the school year, the fifth- and sixth-grade musicians have multiple opportunities to perform for an audience. “We have five performances: three concerts, the Bandtastic concert (with all bands in the school system), and the Memorial Day Parade.”
Most students in the band learned to read music in elementary school, and the transition to the intermediate school band represents a huge leap in the level of musical skill and the quality of the concerts. “Concerts are very different from the elementary school – there is more experience; it’s their first experience with a giant band. It’s a very different sound for them and it’s a really cool experience for them. A lot of the students come out of the concert pumped for the next one.”
Band represents a serious commitment for these students. “In WIS, we rehearse every day. The progress is noticeable right away – you see the changes happening from concert to concert,” notes Will.
Most of the band students are renting their instruments, and although the most common scenario is for students to rent, some students do not have access to an instrument. The school has a collection of instruments but are always welcoming donations.
What do kids take from their experience in the band? Musical skill and the technical ability to play an instrument is just part of it. The ability to use music as an expressive tool is a valuable benefit to playing an instrument. “It’s not just about right note, right time,” says Will. “It’s about how you play it…I hope they can recognize and appreciate those things. I want them to leave with a good feeling about music!”