|
Rockhill Elementary School music teacher Anna Ames directs students performing 'Discovering Virginia,' a musical she wrote to help them learn about the commonwealth's heritage in preparation for the state's Standards of Learning history exam.
Fourth-graders at Rockhill Elementary in North Stafford perform during the musical |
There was no chorus line or playbill, but an original musical debuted this week at Rockhill Elementary in Stafford County.
It's a familiar tale: Two children move to Virginia from Texas with their family. They are beset by obstacles--making new friends, finding a lunch table, meeting a new teacher.
But a surprising academic twist is thrown at them, too: the Virginia Standards of Learning history exam.
They remember the Alamo, but come May they'll need to pass a standardized test that will quiz them on Jamestown, the Civil War and Virginia's five regions.
It's a fictional scenario, but Rockhill music teacher Anna Ames said Stafford's large military population means new students often find themselves facing a test on material they've had just weeks or months to learn.
A Georgia native herself, Ames decided to write a musical, "Discover Virginia," to help the school's fourth-graders prepare for the history exam by setting facts to upbeat melodies.
So far, it seems to be working. Classroom teachers have overhead students humming and murmuring the educational tunes.
"Teachers have told me the kids will be singing during the test," Ames said, laughing.
On Tuesday morning, three of Rockhill's six fourth-grade classes performed for several other grades. The biggest hit was "Region Rap," which reviews the five regions of the state, usually taught using only maps.
Piedmont region, lots of rolling hills/At the foot of the mountain, with cities and towns it fills/West of the fall line, tobacco and textiles deal/But don't forget the government, that's where they pass the bills!
Arm and hand movements choreographed by Ames accompany each song.
Earlier in the show, students performed "O Jamestown," which recounts the experience of the nation's first English settlers.
The settlers were starvin', couldn't grow enough to eat/Then came John Smith, who got them on their feet/The Indians were scary, then Pocahontas they did meet/The settlers were determined not to meet defeat.
Only three fourth-grade classes could fit on the stage of Rockhill's cafeteria/gym. Three classes performed for students and parents on Tuesday, and the other three will perform today.
Rockhill Elementary is the largest elementary school in the county, with 1,040 students.
The crowding--which will be eased next fall when a new elementary school opens nearby--means Ames doesn't have her own room.
For the past three years, Ames has rolled a cart stuffed with her materials from room to room.
"She still maintains a high-quality program under the most adverse conditions," said Janet Payne, fine-arts instructional coordinator for Stafford County public schools.
To rehearse the musical with students, Ames had to coordinate practice time with physical-education teachers who use the gym.
Principal Marilyn Butters said Ames has done an outstanding job, especially considering that she's never had her own space.
After Tuesday's show, teachers approached Ames one by one to touch her arm and offer compliments, mouthing "wonderful" and "amazing."
Stuck at home on snow days, Ames put the finishing touches on lyrics she'd worked for six months to craft. She tried to sneak in work whenever her infant daughter fell asleep.
"I would write when she was napping or sleeping or when she was in bed," Ames said.
"Discover Virginia" celebrates what Payne has always known, and the message she's hoping to spread--that fine arts are an integral part of learning.
In 20 years, kids forget things they've memorized on flash cards, she said, but they'll always remember a song.
"There is almost nothing you do in art or music that doesn't have an academic component," Payne said.
County-wide, music is being celebrated in schools this month. March was declared Music in Our Schools month by the Stafford County School Board.
This weekend, a Fine Arts Festival featuring school choral, orchestra and band groups will be held at Brooke Point High School from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Student artwork from every school also will be on display.
To reach KELLY HANNON: 540/374-5436 khannon@freelancestar.com
