MANSFIELD — Third graders at Sherman Elementary will be learning their science curriculum in a unique way this school year — through music.
The school recently received a grant from the Ohio Arts Council to hire local music teacher Michelle Quimby as a musician in residence for the 2020-2021 school year.
“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to have a local musician be able to work with our students,” said Principal Amy Bradley. “Anytime you can use music, students are always more receptive and engaged.”
Third grade teacher Wendy Doup applied for the grant after Quimby, a volunteer in her classroom, told her about it.
“I’m on board to make my classroom as fun as I can,” Doup said. “Anytime you can combine two subjects or integrate a game or add music, I think it helps the kids to retain the information better and have a deeper understanding.”
According to Doup, Quimby’s lessons will revolve primarily around teaching science and social studies concepts through music.
Some of the subject matter Doup hopes to cover during the program includes the life cycle of a frog, the science of sound waves and African American history month biographies.
As a veteran third grade teacher, Doup has seen how music can help students remember material.
“Multiplication is something we do in math all the time and I found different multiplication songs to help the kids make the connections,” Doup said. “They would sing the songs on their own. When they solve a problem like 6 times 9, I’d hear them singing the nine song.”
All of Quimby’s lessons will be held virtually for both in-person and Tyger Digital Academy students. While teaching remotely can be challenging, Quimby said there are a number of software programs that will allow for engaging lessons.
“I’ve offered online lessons for a number of years now,” she said. “We live in an age now where things can still be very interactive even if it’s virtual.”
Quimby has lived in Mansfield for almost four years. She spent one year as guitar department chair at the Richland Academy of the Arts before founding her own music studio, You Can Play That! in 2018. She teaches lessons in guitar, piano and voice to children and adults of all experience levels.
In addition to 16 years of giving private music lessons, Quimby is a teaching artist in training through the Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education program and has trained at the Center for Arts Inspired Learning in Cleveland.
Quimby said studies have shown students learn better and score higher on tests when the arts are integrated into the learning process.
“The arts really touch every part of our brains,” she said. “It ignites our brain in a different way than just sitting behind a desk and doing an assignment.”
