Gainfield Elementary School’s Composer Program Takes
Students on a Musical Journey Back in Time

  Gainfield Elementary School’s Composer Program takes students on a musical journey back in time to learn about some of the world’s most famous composers and at times, even meet them.

 Actor and Musician, Dennis Kobray, under the guise of Johann Sebastian Bach, recently visited with students during an assembly at the Region 15 School.  Mr. Kobray took his young audience back to the 18^th Century Baroque Period in music to learn of the life and times of Bach.             

 During his captivating presentation, Mr. Kobray performs some of Bach’s more familiar compositions and discusses what was happening in the world during his life, what his influences were and the role of a musician in society.

 Sponsored by the GES PTO, Mr. Kobray’s program, entitled “Meet the Musicians” is just one of the tools used by GES Music Teacher, James Scianna to introduce his students to history’s great composers and their styles of music.

 According to Mr. Scianna, the melodies of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Ellington fill the halls at GES throughout the school year as an ongoing study of composers and their music.  “Four great composers are studied chronologically every year,” he explains.  “Each composer is studied for approximately two months along with specific pieces of their music.”

  In the music room, movement activities and listening lessons are done to reinforce the studies.  But it is not only in music class that students are treated to the lessons.  Teachers in every classroom play CD’s for each composer at appropriate times in the day, such as recess or during silent reading, while visual images of the composers grace the walls.

 From Bach and Baroque to Ellington and the Twentieth Century, Mr. Scianna completes the program by bringing GES and his students into the Jazz Age.  In the 4^th and 5^th grades, the study of jazz plays a major role in the curriculum.

 Over the past decade, a goal of GES has been to improve the music literacy of students and faculty through the study and integration of jazz music.  The development of these studies has led to a collaborative portfolio that successfully implements jazz with language arts and social studies tasks in grades 4 and 5.

  “I am very well supported by Gainfield’s Principal, John Mudry and our school’s PTO,” said Mr. Scianna, who has been teaching at GES for 20 years.  “Their support makes it possible to offer a high quality music program to the kids.”

 In the words of Mr. Mudry, “A broad music program adds another dimension to a child’s life. It enriches, inspires and touches one’s heart and soul.”