Music In Our Schools Month, Baxter Primary Getting Students Involved

It is Music In Our Schools Month, the time of year when music education becomes the focus of schools.

Baxter Primary School has found a new way to get its students involved. Music Teacher Laiton Pigg has recently incorporated the Drums Alive Drumtastic Curriculum.

“It is exercise balls that are in a bucket base, and we drum on them and dance and do all kind of things like that,” Pigg said. “That has really pushed my kids to see I think some opportunities in music that maybe they didn’t realize.”

Pigg said through the group exercise, students build a sense of belonging while introducing what it’s like to play an instrument. Pigg said each child has an exercise ball, lines up in a window formation and follows Pigg’s routine.

“It is so fun” Pigg said. “When they come to my room and I have the drums set up, they all get so excited. They turn around to their friends and say, ‘Oh, we’re drumming today. We’re drumming today.’ They love it, and it has really brought a lot of joy to our students.”

Pigg said not only does the activity lay the foundation for upper class music opportunities, but students grow in all areas. Pigg said children involved in music typically perform better academically and socially.

“It is really activating their entire brain,” Pigg said. “It gives them opportunities for creativity and it makes them better at writing, reading and all kind of things.”