Music in Education: Bloomington teacher builds confidence with each note

The kids know just where to sit on the small bleachers in the classroom or lined up on the floor.

When they pick up their ukuleles, ready to play, Voss says, “All right. Impress me!”

She wears a black T-shirt that says “Grandview Elementary” in silver, and its sequins sparkle as she taps her chest to help the students keep the beat. As she walks around the room, she stops to listen, to encourage one student and then to help another get the right finger position on his instrument.

By the end of the class, they’ve played ukuleles and xylophones, sung songs, clapped their hands and identified notes as they played. They’ve sat cross-legged on the floor and used small dry-erase boards to draw out half notes, whole notes and rests.

“Whoa! Sixteenth notes,” Voss says with a big smile as their mallets go up and down, striking the xylophone’s bars until the song is finished. “You did it! Are you tired?”

When class is over, Voss walks toward the door, her arm around a student’s shoulders. She whispers to the student, “Thank you so much for singing. It helps the class so much when you do that.”

After 35 minutes of music, it’s time for the next group, and Voss speaks to the children as each one comes through the door, remarking on a superhero T-shirt or just saying hello. She sees all of Grandview’s students twice a week.

Teaching with technology

Voss’ class is fast-paced. It’s not the music class you took in school.

Her grade book is on her iPad. Click on a student’s picture, and you’ll get audio notes or short videos Voss has recorded to keep track of how each child has done each day. She uses videos on YouTube, PowerPoint presentations and devices called Little Bits, tech toys that allow students to create music by piecing together magnetic building blocks with electric circuits.