Program Spotlight: Music through the Aspen Music Festival
At the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork, music is a curriculum element for all our students in grades 4th-8th. Beginning in 4th grade, all of our students begin on the violin before having the option to switch to cello in later grades. This progression comes after the foundation for music is laid through singing and flutes which begin in the 1st grade and continue each year.
Why do we value music so deeply?
Research shows that music brings countless benefits including, according to John Hopkins “music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.” When it comes to learning, “music is structural, mathematical and architectural. It’s based on relationships between one note and the next. You may not be aware of it, but your brain has to do a lot of computing to make sense of it” notes one otolaryngologist in this article from John Hopkins.
When our students work with music on a daily basis across the grades from kindergarten through 8th grade, their brains are challenged and nurtured by the complexities, engagement and benefits that come with playing an instrument or being engulfed in music when an entire class sings together.
The Music Program at WSRF: In Partnership with Aspen Music Festival
At the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork, our students have the incredible opportunity to work with the artists and teachers from Aspen Music Festival and School (AMF). Our students begin working with the AMF teachers in 4th grade and continue on through 5th grade playing a stringed instrument. Upon entering the 4th grade, they begin in earnest to formalize much of what they have learned by working with these very capable teachers. The students meet for class twice per week, and many take additional lessons after school. The students continue their strings work through 8th grade.
Students have the opportunity to perform multiples times each year and share their work with the community. A concert is typically held in December as well as some time in the Spring each year. The chance to perform on stage nurtures confidence, courage and self growth in our students.
Heather Kendrick and additional AMF teachers have been working with the 4th and 5th grade students this year. Roberto Arundale leads the 6th – 8th grade students, where they have the option to continue to play their stringed instruments through the rest of the middle school years.
WSRF is incredibly grateful for this teaching partnership with the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMF) as a part of their community programs. AMF is dedicated to supporting local youth music development across the valley. Because of these wonderful teachers, robust, dynamic music fills the halls of WSRF and nurtures our students in countless ways.
Our state of the art performance hall where concerts, plays and assemblies take place.