The students at Crown Point Elementary will be playing a new tune this fall when the school is renamed the Crown Point Music Academy.
San Diego Unified School District recently added the Suzuki Program ” a musical instruction program that teaches the violin based on the way children learn to speak ” to the school’s curriculum.
“The Suzuki Program was started in 1964 by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, a Japanese violinist, who got the idea in that all kids, if they can learn their mother tongue, they can learn music,” said Karen Childress-Evans, director of visual and performing arts (VAPA).
Parents participate with their children, who learn the violin along with the students, Childress-Evans said
“The violin concept is the parents are taught along with the kids and then the parents become the trainers at home,” she said. “The kids listen a lot just like when you’re learning to speak. The parents talk to the kids and there’s a lot of mimicking going on.”
Childress-Evans said the small students will be learning on violins approximately one-tenth the size of a full-size violins.
“The whole school is going to be filled with music, music, music,” said Crown Point Elementary Principal Barbara Boone.
“In addition to that we going to be infusing music into our literacy, social studies and everything that we do. Kids will not only be participating in music classes, but they’re also going to be learning the history of music. For example, when the second grade students do a unit on biography, they’re going to learn about musicians,” Boone said.
Beginning this fall, program will be offered for kindergarten through first grade, and then expand one grade each year. Boone said by 2010, the school will offer the Suzuki Program for all students, kindergarten through 5th grade.
The addition of the Suzuki Program will transform Crown Point Elementary into a magnet school.
Boone said the campus is planning on expanding from one kindergarten and first grade classes to three classes for both grades.
Crown Point is an amazing school, but the population has been low. We’re trying to get the enrollment up and this program will do that,” Boone said.
With approximately 127 students, the campus has about one class per grade level. The campus also offers two free preschool classes, which gives parents the opportunity to guide their children into the Suzuki Program as kindergarteners.
The school is holding an enrollment fair Thursday, Aug. 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., for parents interested in visiting the campus, located at 4033 Ingraham St.
For more information call (858) 273-9830.