Week 19 - The Sound of Music

"What will a child learn sooner than a song?"

The Sound of Music was Perry's favorite musical from childhood. As a music teacher, he reveled in its simplicity and grace. He loved music and loved children, so his career choice was an easy one. But what of those children who had neither the talent nor the desire to immerse themselves in the magical world of music? The Von Trapp family singers are a legacy to many. But is it because of their devotion to music or their devotion to one another? Perry knew.

Perry made it a point to meet with teachers from every grade level over the summer. What were they learning that he could put to music and therefore make it easier for all of them to learn? "After all, we all learned our ABC's that way," Perry explained during one such meeting. By the time school started, he had written songs to teach the states and their capitals, the continents and the oceans, the presidents, the prepositions, and even the categories of animals.

The point of his effort was not to produce a concert of his original songs. It was not to attract publicity to his ever-vulnerable music program. It wasn't even to entice students to take up a musical instrument. The end result Perry hoped for, and ultimately found, was that there would be joy in the journey - that the music would move the minds and the hearts of his students.

Use your own passion to ignite the passion inside your students.

Prompt: How can I give my students joy in the journey this year? What do I need to do so that my own journey can be joyful?