as Artful Evidence
on its aesthetic presence almost
daily. The gallery demonstrated that
a twenty-first-century school could
maintain high academic demands
while creating valuable aesthetic
and sensory experiences for our students.
Music and Technology
Music and technology were integral
in defining our school. Our music
lab now houses thirty-five state-of-the-art music keyboards and we
constructed a brand new technology
Featured Artists
and Composers
We featured a 100
95
famous visual art-
90
ist each trimester. 85
During the study, 80
we would read 75
about the artist’s 70
life over the 65 68
school intercom 60
61
during our morn- 55
50
ing announce- 45
ments. We hung 40
a portrait and a 35
biography of the 30
artist in every 25
classroom. 20
15
Alternating
10
on different days 5
with the artist, 0
we also featured 2005 2006
a composer each
trimester. During the composer
study we would play selected parts
of a musical piece during morning
announcements and ask the students to listen for specifics. They
discussed their observations during music class each week. The
composer’s portrait was also posted
in classrooms along with his or her
biography. Featuring artists and
composers for the whole school was
a great way to introduce students to
some of the world’s most influential
artists and musicians, make it a part
of the daily routines in the school
culture, and effectively use every
minute of time given. We maximized every opportunity to learn.
StudS etundetntAcchihevieemevnet ment
Reading
69
51
2007
2005
center, designed with the idea of creating small learning communities
for kids and enhancing their opportunities for technological inventiveness in the curriculum. We created
a technology curriculum that would
enable students to be exposed and
engaged in technology throughout
their career at Huff.
Music + Math Program
For third through fifth graders, we
implemented a program developed
at the MIND Institute (Music Intelligence Neural Development). We
became the first school East of the
Mississippi River to offer the MIND
Institute’s Music + Math Program,
a music and technology curriculum based upon the research of the
“Mozart Effect.”
The philosophy behind this pro-
gram capitalizes on higher cogni-
tive brain functions and increased
spatial-temporal
reasoning skills
through music
and technology.
Students play a
Math series of strategi-
cally sequenced
and structured
84
79 educational
computer games
presenting
problems that
require them to
visualize mental
images. These
concepts are
also applied to
traditional math
instruction in
the classroom.
This is where
the software is
2006 2007 truly powerful;
students are able
visualize those same math concepts
already being taught.
In May of 2006 we were invited to
be featured speakers for the MIND
Institute’s Music + Math Program at
a local seminar on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. Six months later, we
found ourselves as the cover story on
Education Showcase. This television
show aired to millions of households
nationwide on channels like Discovery and the Learning Channel.
We spoke about the academic, technological, and arts-related results
we’ve seen with students.
