The fifth grade students of St. Mary’s Catholic Community School are beaming with excitement with the latest addition to the school’s music curriculum thanks to the help of a grant provided by the Crown Point Community Foundation. Thanks to this grant, prepared by Assistant Principal, Lisa Hughes, all of the 5th graders at St. Mary’s will get to transition from the recorder, a woodwind instrument, onto an instrument in the string family, the ukulele!
St. Mary music teacher, Tony Rossi, is excited to introduce this beginner friendly instrument to his students. “Since the ukulele has plastic strings, it is much easier to play than the steel strings of a guitar, but we also have the benefit of being able to teach about chords, harmony, and how those elements of music work together with sung or played melody,” said Mr. Rossi.
“Due to the circumstances, wind instruments are not in concert with COVID-19 best practices. I applaud Mr. Rossi for not being discouraged in his efforts to teach our students how to play an introductory instrument. He did what we’ve all been doing this year. He adjusted and moved forward without missing a beat, allowing our St. Mary’s students to have a different, but great educational experience. We’re very grateful for the support of the Crown Point Community Foundation for making this happen,” said principal, Tom Ruiz.
St. Mary Catholic Community School in Crown Point offers grade levels Junior Pre-Kindergarten (for three-year-olds) through grade eight. In addition to being ardent supporters of the Arts, St. Mary’s faculty teaches a rich curriculum supported by cutting-edge technology. Faith, Academic Excellence, Life Lessons, and Compassion are the pillars of the school. To learn more about St. Mary School’s visit stmarycp.org/school.