Music Program Changes Coming this Fall!
Dear JRCS Families,
We are excited to share some music news with you! First, next school year Ms. Bethany Bohnenblust will be joining us from Colorado Springs where she has been teaching music at a kindergarten through eighth grade charter school. She will be taking over our instrumental music program while Ms. Manee will continue heading up our choral music program.
We will also be revamping our instrumental music program in a way that we feel benefits our students and families and will also align better with the Waldorf curriculum… In fourth grade, children dive
into the study of fractions which correlates beautifully with learning to work with musical notation and rhythm. Starting this fall, students will not begin an instrument class until fourth grade. At that time, all of our students will get to enjoy learning to play the ukulele along with continuing to sing in choir. We are very excited to announce that the school has purchased a class set of ukuleles so that families will no longer have the expense of instrument rental or purchase!
There will also be some changes for our fifth grade students. Next year, 
fifth graders will get to learn to play acoustic guitar as well as continuing to sing in the choir. Again, the school has purchased a class set of acoustic guitars to eliminate the cost of instrument rental or purchase to families!
Both fourth and fifth grade students will no longer need to provide their own instruments.
In middle school, we will be offering our electives program which will include choir, beginning band, modern band, and theater! All music classes will be yearlong with the exception of theater which will be offered both semesters. Ms. Manee and Ms. Bohnenblust will be working together to bring the theater elective to our school. Middle school band students may be responsible for providing their own instrument if the school does not currently have the instrument on hand. We are doing our best to be able to provide as many instruments as possible.
We look forward to implementing these changes in our music program and we are excited for the first opportunity for students to share their new skills next year!
Sincerely,
Kathleen Mumaw
Head of School