Saltus into this era--what we had before was about
10 years behind where the rest of the world was in
music education," he says. "What we then came up
with gives students complete flexibility in how they
want to create music--whether they want to go a
traditional route with modern methods, or record
their own original pieces."
in the next year. Architect Julia van Beelen (SGY
'83), a partner at Cooper Gardner, is designing a
project that will consolidate music classrooms and
storage space alongside the Bill Duncan Suite to
create a more cohesive, dynamic atmosphere. A
single, large rehearsal space combining two adjacent
classrooms will link to the suite by a separate corridor,
enabling music students to move about within the
department with minimal sound transfer.
are also thriving. In Upper Primary, Music teacher
Margaret Fox, a New Brunswick native who has
spent the past 14 years at Saltus, runs a non-stop
schedule of hymn practice, choirs, recorder groups
and theory classes for Years 3 to 7 in addition to
leading regular music lessons. She also organises
group guitar, drum and violin lunchtime sessions
for students taught by instructors from the
Menuhin Foundation and Bermuda School of
Music, and is overseeing this year's Christmas
show, The Nutcracker. UP students can choose
including Hip-Hop Dance, Drama and orchestra.
don't ever pursue music as a career," Mrs. Fox says.
"Music helps students work better in small groups
and as a team. I have had many parents thank me
for running music clubs, as their children have
become more confident and feel like they belong
and are good at doing something. Music is a place
where students can express themselves. For me,"
she adds, "music is like breathing, it is a natural
thing to do."
dancing and singing, and experimenting with
musical instruments. "I've had conversations with
parents who claim their child has completely
changed their attitude and behaviour due to
participating in instrumental ensembles," says
London-born Lower Primary Music teacher Dan
Guerrard, now in his second year at the School.
"The attention to detail when reading music or
playing from memory is something we encourage
of children of all ages at Saltus. A repeated conver-
sation I have with many parents and ex-students,
here in Bermuda and the UK, is how much they
regret not continuing with playing an instrument
after they left school. It is often in retrospect that
we recognise the opportunities we had in our
school years, their value and their importance."
students
work better
in small
groups
and as a
team. I've
had many
parents
thank me
for running
music
clubs,
as their
children
have
become
more
confident'