My new blogs for EdU412 will have an emphasis on Fine Arts programs and the need to keep them in the private schools and bring more Fine arts programs to Early Childhood Education.
Hello all Friends and Colleagues,
My Name Is Darlene
Tschopp, and I have been in all aspects of Early Childhood Education and I tend
to be thrown into Preschool music. As I
was working a Center in 1998, I was a 3 year old teacher at A Childs World
Education Centers in Newtown PA. I began my journey as they noticed me through
my voice, and was interested; they said the children love your voice. I then
began bringing my guitar there, for I had no way of bringing a piano and I was
still learning songs on the guitar at the time. I had training in guitar but
was newer to the guitar than the piano. I had learned in my late teens to play
both instrument and decided to take on Jazz guitar at the local Community
College in Philadelphia PA. I was
bringing the guitar once a week for the children. The children loved it. I
became a Music teacher for Preschoolers there, and at their two other centers.
I never heard of
preschool music before, so I had to come up with a way to teach rhythm and notes.
I wrote a song and a book called” My Musical friends”. I did everything
experimental, as I was not familiar with how Children could learn. I began by
making puppets that resembled the clefs and the notes only using a face to help
the children identify with the staff. I
noticed the change in the children immediately following that year. They began
doing activities with their teachers and really getting involved in science and
all kinds of learning activities that the teacher gave them.
I realized that
this was their first experience in Early Learning of music and notes and that
they were able to calm down with the interactions of their teachers and friends.
They were really able to learn some interesting things, while bringing their
own ideas to the classrooms as well. The Children could not wait for their
music day. I would be in the halls carrying my bag, guitar, and instruments for
the day. I would be asked then," Are you coming to our room today? ". The excitement was outstanding from
the students I had. In 2002, the kindergarten class and I wrote a song for the
troops as I experimented on another level of teaching them to write lyrics and
I would write the music to it. They were seen on CBS news that day. That was so
exciting my first TV debut. I never wanted
to do another TV debut again
I wanted to
introduce you to my topic of advocacy interest in order to give you all an idea
why Fine Arts has been so crucial in advocating. Why should schools to keep Fine Arts alive?
I was laid off from the center after teaching
there for almost 7 years, as other teachers were cut too. Although this was a private center, I see
this being a problem in the school districts, and private schools of elementary
schools too. I want to bring about the
new information that has been founds and new programs that have been found for
Fine Arts programs in America.
