Dear Families,

Our dedication to the fine arts is one of the most important aspects of our program at CCA. While many schools are choosing to drop these programs in order to focus on strictly academic pursuits, we feel that the arts encourage our students to be well-rounded, creative, and successful.

Last Friday, grades 4-8 played and sang their hearts out in our Winter Concert. I am always amazed at how much they learn in just four months! Because my office is located next to the band room, I have the pleasure of hearing Mr. Boyt develop our students’ musical gifts as they hone their skills. My greatest joy comes from seeing the progression of mastery from grade 4 through high school. After listening to our students on Friday, I am so excited to see them grow into the music they will learn as they age up!

Mrs. Hagen teaches our middle schoolers how to play Marimbas, another music elective, and they sound really good almost from the very beginning. Playing marimbas can lead to learning other types of percussion and keyboard instruments in band. There is no doubt that our CCA Marimbas have fun when they play; you can see it on their faces!

Music not only soothes the soul; it actually stimulates learning. Consistent exposure to music, like learning to play a musical instrument or singing in a choir, strengthens academic and social-emotional skills. Many cognitive neuroscience studies have shown that learning music reinforces language skills, builds reading ability, and strengthens memory and attention (edutopia.org, news.northwestern.edu). Some research finds that music activates the same areas of the brain used to solve spatial-temporal reasoning problems in math (researchgate.net). 

At Concordia, we remain dedicated to developing the whole child. Thanks for partnering with us in reinforcing the practice that comes with learning music, as well as academics.

Have a great week!

In Christ,

Sherrie Gibelyou