Mariner Update Staff Edition

I love our school, do you love your school?!

Dear Mariner Families and Staff,

At Innovative Horizons Charter School, we often talk about literacy as our North Star. Literacy is more than learning how to read words on a page. It is about developing the ability to listen, understand, recognize patterns, remember information, communicate ideas, and make meaning from the world around us. That is one reason we are so proud of the music opportunities we provide for our students at IHCS.

Every day, our K–5 students have the opportunity to participate in music under the direction of Mr. Chasteen. Our middle school students continue to develop their musical skills through our middle school music program, and students in grades 2–8 also have the opportunity to participate in our Mariachi program.

Music and literacy are deeply connected.

When students learn music, their brains are doing much more than simply learning a song. Students are listening carefully, identifying sounds and patterns, remembering sequences, following symbols, recognizing rhythm, developing vocabulary, coordinating what they see with what they hear, and translating written musical notation into sound. These are all forms of processing that also support learning to read and communicate.

Research in neuroscience and education has found that musical training engages multiple areas of the developing brain, including networks involved in auditory processing, attention, memory, language, movement, and executive functioning. Learning to read music is particularly interesting because students are learning another symbolic language. Just as students learn that letters and combinations of letters represent sounds in written language, musicians learn that musical symbols represent sounds, rhythms, pitch, and patterns.

In other words, when our students learn to read music, they are practicing how to make meaning from symbols.

When they sing, they are developing listening, language, pronunciation, memory, and expressive skills. 🎵Sing with your student in the car, in the home, sing in Perris, sing in Rome 🎵

When they play an instrument, they are coordinating their eyes, ears, hands, memory, attention, and timing.

And when they perform together, they are learning to listen to others, follow directions, contribute to a group, and understand how their individual part fits into something larger.

That is literacy. That is learning. That is brain development.

The literacy opportunities continue with our K-8 Mariachi program! Our Mariachi program will begin a little later this year as our district office completes a bidding process with potential Mariachi academies. The program is FREE!

2nd Grade - 8th Grade Parents: sign your student up for Mariachi in our front office.

Students may learn Trumpet, Violin, Guitar/Vihuela, or Bass Guitar/Guitarrón while learning to read music, sing, and play their instrument. Along the way, students develop confidence, perseverance, concentration, memory, listening skills, and teamwork.

You do not have to be Latino or speak Spanish to participate. Every Mariner is welcome! Learning to read music also opens the door to many musical styles, including rock, classical, country, jazz, concert band, and more. The instrument is only the beginning. The real gift is learning to read music. Just as we want every child to become a reader of books, we want our students to discover that they can become readers of music. Our music programs are part of our academic mission because they help students read, listen, create, communicate, collaborate, and lead.

Literacy is our North Star, and sometimes we find our way by listening to the music along the journey. We are one family. We are Mariner Strong! Belong. Lead. Succeed.

With appreciation,

Your IHCS Admin Team: Mrs. Barry, Mr. Castro & Mr. Candelaria