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Music & Arts

Friends of Third funds a music program and instructor who provides a ten-week general music program for all grade levels, over and above the 4th-5th-grade orchestra program provided by LAUSD.   Beginning in 2008, the program was expanded to include a before school recorder and Orff xylophone ensemble for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders interested in taking their music to the next level.  There is no charge to join the ensemble and instruments are provided.  Rehearsals lead to 2-3 “Concert in the Park” picnic events on campus after school.
recorder ensemble
The philosophy of the general music program is a "constructivist" approach, in which students make many of their own musical instruments and are encouraged to be composers as well as performers.  The music program is made possible by Friends of Third (all children participate in the Music Program regardless of their family’s ability to donate).

 From Our Music Instructor, Richard Lawton:

I have been teaching music at Third Street since 2006, and I love it.  The support of the families, teachers and staff is incredible.  The enthusiasm of our kids (I say “our” because both my daughters are alumni of the school), their eagerness to learn, and the fearlessness with which they express their ideas is inspiring.  

This link will take you to a website where you can find more about me, my qualifications, what I teach and why.  However, my teaching philosophy can also be summed up in one sentence -- music education is the right of every child and right for every child.  Too often in music we focus on “talent” as a pre-requisite.  This is not only elitist, but self-defeating.  We do not insist children be Michelangelo before teaching them to paint or draw.  We assume that they will benefit from the experience and measure their success by the pride they take in their work.  So it should be with music.
Third Street Music Blog
Mr. Lawton's Blog
As to why music should be taught, my own bias makes it hard for me to imagine why it should not be.  However, I realize that others may have a more utilitarian view when it comes to education.  Therefore, here are three practical reasons why music should be taught in public schools:

Music encourages the pursuit of mastery in school children, who often are allowed to get by with a minimum of understanding.  In music class, however, barely adequate is never good enough.  Students learn to practice things until they own them.  When they realize they can transfer that approach to the rest of their subjects, there’s no stopping them.
Music increases synaptic activity. All studies show that the physiological reaction to music in the brain is profound.  If one of our goals is to stimulate students to make their own connections on the way to developing metacognition, then all that extra synaptic activity cannot be a bad thing.

Music presents a chance to reach hard-to-reach kids. I was a band nerd and music kept me in school by giving me a place to belong.  Today, fitting in is so much more complicated -- with issues of racial and cultural identity, along with socio-economic status, language and special needs in the mix.  Music gives teachers a chance to get above all that and connect with children on their turf, and in the process transmit ideas about working in groups, leadership, patience, cooperation and pride.  With the possible exception of sports, nothing we do with kids in school does all this quite as well. Apart from all that, music is just so much fun!