Music and Technology Professionals Committed to Your Success
The Music Makers team includes professionally trained musicians and educators committed to integrating technology with a grounded yet enjoyable approach to learning music!
Dr. Cassandra Beauvoir, the Founder and Creator of Beauvoir Music Makers
Dr. Cassandra Beauvoir was inspired to create the Music Makers In School Curriculum while she was a volunteer music teacher in her son’s first grade classroom.
The school had no music curriculum for the primary grades, so Dr. Beauvoir, a classically trained pianist, had the opportunity to develop an innovative approach to teaching music.
When my son was in elementary school, a concerned principal approached me after school one day and asked, “Do you know how we might be able to have a music program for the first and second graders this year?” One conversation led to another and I became a volunteer music teacher.
The children I taught were very enthusiastic about their singing time and I was inspired to teach a little more about music in each lesson. In the third week I asked the students, “Who can tell me what pitch is?” An eager young boy raised his hand and said, “What you do in baseball!” I told him that he was entirely correct, but pitch is also important in music and singing. Then I showed the class a picture of Mozart and asked, “Who is this?” Most of them exclaimed, “George Washington!” I knew that I was in the right place – I could teach these students a few things about music.
I began to teach music theory and history along with singing; the children happily learned the Italian words for tempos and the number of beats in a whole rest. They ended the school year with a joyful singing performance for their parents. The teachers began to ask me if they could use my teaching materials, and I developed a teacher-friendly music program that any teacher can use to teach music in the primary grades.
Music is usually considered a “nice to have” subject in schools, but not a necessary one. This short-sighted approach overlooks the strong correlation between music education and academic achievement that has been consistently validated in research. Music education in the primary grades is an untapped resource that would enhance the effectiveness of these important early years of education.
Students can easily learn music in the primary grades. They can learn the basic principles of music and how to read music in the same way that they learn the principles of mathematics and how to add and subtract. Teachers who already teach multiple subjects in these grades can also teach music when they have the appropriate curriculum.
Music has traditionally been taught at the same time the student is learning to play an instrument. It can also be effectively taught before the student picks up the instrument. Students who know musical principles and can read music can use that knowledge in learning to play an instrument. Why not give all students a chance to learn music? Why not give all students access to fine arts?
What started as a half-hour of singing evolved into Music Makers, a comprehensive online music curriculum. Dr. Beauvoir has continued to create music products from this initial curriculum.
Dr. Beauvoir is a doctor of counseling psychology in private practice. Learn more about Dr. Beauvoir’s work at:
www.cassandrabeauvoir.com
www.intuitiveathome.com
www.familypast2present.com