Award-winning teacher sings praises of music education.
Portage Trail Junior Community school's music teacher Cathy Ullmann has won the Kodaly Society of Canada's Music Excellence award.
Staff photo/DAN PEARCE
For the second year in a row the music program at Portage Trail Junior Community School has been recognized for excellence.
Music teacher Cathy Ullmann has been at the school for 10 years but only began teaching music full-time to the Junior Kindergarten to Grade 5 students two years ago. In that time the school has earned a pair of Kodaly Society of Canada's Music Education Excellence Awards.
Blending two musical education philosophies called Kodaly and Orff, Ullmann believes music can make a real impact on every child's development, especially in the school's Jane Street and Weston Road neighbourhood.
"The basic premise is that all children have the ability to learn music and are musical; it's just a matter of tapping into it," said Ullmann.
She made the transition from regular instructor to full-time music teacher after convincing school administration that investing time into musical education was a worthy enterprise capable of teaching skills that easily translate into other subjects. By combining vocalization, dance and non-traditional instruments, the children learn a variety of lessons. Teamwork, improvisation and mental and physical multi-tasking are all valued traits taught through music.
Every student has two classes per week with Ullmann and she gets the impression that every one of them enjoys her high-energy musical style.
"Music is universal, every student can connect with it. It speaks to every individual no matter where they are from or what their experience in life is. That is so important when you are trying to get kids engaged in their education. If a child is not engaged in school they are not going to succeed and music provides an excellent way to engage everybody," said Ullmann.
The Kodaly Society of Canada is a non-profit organization of music educators that teaches using the philosophy of Zoltan Kodaly, a Hungarian music teacher who believed music was a universal right and needed to be taught to all children.
The Kodaly Society began its award program in 2003 in response to funding cutbacks to musical education. This year, 49 schools from across Canada were given the award, which includes gift certificates from musical sponsors.
Ullmann is continually trying to raise funds to support her school's program and encourages parents to lobby their schools to invest time and money into the arts.
"We have a lot of children for whom music is their salvation," said Ullmann. "Parents have a lot of power. If music is an important thing to see in your school, advocate for the arts...the children will reap the benefits for the rest of their lives."