Irving Rocking with Drumming Clinician
The music room at Irving Elementary School has been rockin’ this week. Paul Corbiere, a music teacher and featured drumming clinician, came to work with all of the students on drumming. His residency and the drums used were funded by the Iowa Arts Council and Kind World Foundation.
Throughout the week, Corbiere worked with all 650 Irving students
in cultural hand drumming traditions combined with singing, moving,
and playing other instruments. His residency addresses all nine
music standards, which include improvising melodies, reading,
notating, and evaluating music - just to name a few. "My biggest
thing in elementary school is form. I want kids to hear form in
music. To me, form is in everything we do," said Corbiere, the
co-founder of the Beat for Peace program. "If you put a house
together there's a form to it just like there are forms to follow
in geometry."
The classroom teachers have been amazed at the accomplishments. “I
never would have thought it possible to see everyone so focused,
listening and creating during the class,” said ShLoe Maurer, first
grade teacher.
In addition Corbiere worked with the Sioux City Community School District music faculty during professional development, sharing ideas and demonstrating techniques to have students learn his teaching and drumming style.
There will be a celebration on Friday, March 20 at 2:00 p.m. in the
Irving gym at 9001 Floyd Blvd. The students and teachers will play
and show what they learned during the week. “Drumming is such a
universal language that even our newest ELL students are succeeding
and feeling part of the Irving Beat Family,” said Karen Bourne, one
of two general music teachers at Irving. Heidi Sea, the other
general music specialist at Irving, commented with wonder that the
students were creating such an amazing multi-faceted, complex piece
in only two to three days rehearsal.
