Education Through Music (ETM) began partnering with our school several years ago. I entered into this partnership so that every child in the school could have a tactile music experience, something which is not possible with many other programs. Our vision was to integrate music into our educational practice, in order to improve our students' academic achievement and overall development. We are a high poverty school, which unfortunately translates into factors that do not allow music enrichment to be a part of such a child’s educational experience. We all know, however, that music is a rich gateway, affording children many different points of entry in education.
Our experience with the ETM program has been that it involves every student in the school. In this first year, students are excited to learn singing, keyboard and the recorder. ETM's teaching artists are trained and mentored, and make use of a stimulating curriculum to teach the children skills and knowledge in music as well as skills that support their learning and development in other areas. They work to involve all members of the school community, to foster cultural change and build support for music education. Without a doubt, ETM has enriched our students' lives lives with music.