Mamaroneck Schools Get Out the Violins

Neuroscience research has found that learning to play an instrument provides major academic advantages for a growing brain, helping children improve their language skills and enhance concentration.

And more than 90% of elementary students at Mamaroneck Avenue School (MAS) and Central Elementary School are realizing these benefits - an all-time high.

The majority of schools in New York State introduce all non-recorder musical instruction in the 4th grade, but the Mamaroneck Union Free School district is among the minority that provides school-based instruction for 3rd grade students on string instruments, which include violin, viola, cello and stand-up bass. Lessons are free and instruments are provided to families in need. At MAS alone, 108 3rd graders engaged in music instruction in the 2014-2015 academic year, the highest rate of participation in the school’s history.

“The program is really special, not only because of the quality of instruction, but also because the teachers make learning an instrument fun, social, and interactive for the kids, which is crucial at this age,” said Silvia Claiborne, whose daughter, Sophia, 8, is learning violin. “My daughter picked up a violin for the first time in September and by March she was playing as part of an orchestra.”

The popularity of this year’s program at MAS led Dr. Katherine Sinsabaugh, director of the orchestra programs at MAS and Central Elementary School to form an after school orchestra club for new 3rd graders and in addition many 3rd graders were asked to participate in the 4th and 5th Grader Orchestra, an activity generally reserved for students in the 4th and 5th grades or those who have received private instruction outside of school.

The 3rd Grade Orchestra made its first public performance last month, where attendees were treated to a variety of songs, from Mary Had a Little Lamb to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. The 4th and 5th Grader Orchestra will perform at the school’s annual spring concert on May 13.

“I am fortunate to have amazing families to work with that are dedicated to the string program, because they understand that playing an instrument is a fantastic life skill,” said Sinsabaugh. “In addition, playing an instrument has been found to foster sophisticated brain development, teaches executive functioning, self regulation skills and most importantly opens the door to the joy of music and music making.”

Science backs up this claim. According to Dr. Nina Kraus, professor of neuroscience in the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University, learning to play an instrument helps children improve their language skills as they significantly enhance the brain’s sensitivity to speech sounds. They also help children better process speech in a noisy classroom.

Through the program at MAS, 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade students receive a ½ hour lesson once in the 6-Day cycle. 4th and 5th Grade students also play in the school orchestra, which meets two out of every six school days from 8 a.m. - 8:40 a.m., immediately prior to school. More advanced students are invited to take part in the chamber orchestra ensemble to work on more complex pieces. This year Sinsabaugh reports that between MAS and Central she has had a record of 60 groups participating in NYSSMA, the New York State School Music Association assessments.

“Over the years, I’ve seen so many of our students blossom in the music program, be it orchestra with Dr. Sinsabaugh, band with Mr. Hilgenberg, or chorus with Mr. Chinn,” said Carrie Amon, Principal at MAS. “This is what educating the whole student is all about.”