By: Laura Williams, Pre-K Teacher at Carver Elementary School in Little Rock
April 2,2018
On Wednesday, March 28th, ASO's Quapaw String Quartet visited my school, and it was a wonderful experience. I was so excited to invite Meredith, Charlotte, Ryan, and David into my school, and they were simply amazing! They performed their "Picturing Music" program for some of our 3rd graders in the media center, and it was broadcast into every classroom of the school.
Picturing Music is a neat presentation on the history of music and art, exploring Botticelli, Picasso, Bach, Haydn, and more artists and composers. The 3rd graders asked great questions, and the Quapaw Quartet was fun to hear and watch.
After their presentation in the media center, the quartet moved to our cafeteria and demonstrated their instruments to our entire Pre-K program while the kids made drawings inspired by the sights and sounds of the violins, viola, and cello.
These 3 and 4-year olds were so well-behaved and captivated by the music, and they really loved learning about the sounds of each instrument. After the quartet left, and I settled back into my day with my class, I was thrilled when two students ran up to me with the book Zin, Zin, Zin, A Violin – they were so excited to find a book about a violin!
Getting children involved with music at an early age is an incredible boost to their education. They learn how to control themselves, how to express themselves, and spatial thinking, just to name a few things. Countless studies have conclusively proven that children who learn an instrument will have better reading, math, and interpersonal skills, and for that reason I am so proud of Carver Elementary School and Arkansas Symphony Orchestra for working together to make this beautiful, musical experience possible for so many children, and also making another great opportunity available for students and their families: all students who experienced this visit from the Quapaw String Quartet, and their families, are invited to attend the free simulcast of Beethoven & Blue Jeans at the Arkansas Arts Center lawn on April 14th. The Arkansas Symphony and Arkansas Arts Center have partnered to present this concert for free – details are available at ArkansasSymphony.org/canvas. This concert simulcast is free and open to the public!
All students at Carver Elementary School – as well as any Arkansas student through the 12th grade – can come to any ASO regular season concert on Sundays for free with the Entergy Kids Ticket.
I can't wait until the next time the ASO visits my school, and I know my kids can't wait either!
