Recently at Pickerington Elementary School in Columbus, Ohio, “the voice of Stacy Sims took over on the public-address system,” writes Eric Lagatta in Monday’s (4/2) Columbus Dispatch (OH). “Sims directed the students to close their eyes and focus. ‘Today, notice your breath,’ she said. ‘Can you keep it slow and steady throughout this music?’ For the next four minutes, ‘Open Prairie’—composed by Aaron Copland for the 1938 ballet ‘Billy the Kid’—played throughout the school…. Since January, classical music has become a part of the morning routine at the school, the first in central Ohio to implement Mindful Music Moments, a program created by Sims to help youngsters de-stress.… In Columbus, Sims partners with the Columbus Symphony, Opera Columbus and the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts. ‘It’s our purpose to get students involved with music as much as possible,’ said Jeani Stahler, director of education for CAPA and the symphony…. Some students said the routine calms them after hectic mornings. ‘We’re all hyper in the morning,’ third-grader Isabella Copeland said…. Barrington [Elementary School] plays the music early in the afternoon, [which] ‘gives them a moment then to pause and refocus on learning right after lunch,’ said music specialist Angi Brooks.”
Posted April 3, 2018
