We caught up with the bright and bubbly Miss Jess, ACMF Teaching Musician at Granville South Public School and Woy Woy Public School recently and asked her to tell us about what she does and the impact music has on the students in her music lessons.
“Hi there! My name is Jessica, otherwise known as “Miss Jess”.
I teach music to primary school students through the Australian Children’s Music Foundation at Granville South Public School and Woy Woy Public School. I teach my students basic music notation and theory, songwriting, and various instruments including chime bars, djembe drums, handbells, untuned percussion instruments, and even the kazoo!
It’s important that I provide a safe space for the students to express their creativity, and my lessons are just that – Students come to the music lesson feeling empowered and capable, and I’ve watched them grow and develop their skills as their engagement and participation in the music lesson has increased.
I’ve been teaching at Granville South Public School for just under two years and I have seen the impact music has on the students – they have flourished, are willing to give the unknown a go, and participation has increased. Students are now displaying different coping mechanisms when they make a mistake from when they first came into the classroom – music has helped boost their confidence and self-esteem as they are unafraid from having tried new things out. I would even go as far as saying that music has helped the students develop a resilience to giving up.
I have received fantastic feedback from the wider teaching community at Granville South Public School – they have let me know that students with behavioural challenges in their classroom, are really receptive and focused during music time.
I recently begun teaching at Woy Woy Public School and am enjoying seeing the students connect with their creative outlet during the music lesson. It’s a great way for them to be expressive and imaginative.
Music is positively impacting these student’s lives and I feel incredibly lucky to be teaching them.”
