Otisville Elementary celebrates ‘Music in our Schools’ Month

Students admiring art and written work on a wall

March is “Music in our Schools Month,” with this year’s theme being “Music Changes Lives.”

Otisville Elementary music teachers Skyler Klein and Maria Fenfert recently read the book “Because,” by Mo Willems, to all Otisville  students as part of special activities commemorating the importance of music education and its many positive connections to academics. In this instance, the teachers additionally connected literature with music.

The book tells the story of a little girl who attends a performance of Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony” because her aunt had an extra ticket. It turns out that the performance “changed” the little girl forever. From that moment, she immersed herself in music and grows up to become a famous composer.

Otisville students later wrote their own “Because” sentences about their personal musical experiences. If you have a chance to visit the school’s music hallway, take a peek at their wonderful work!