The McDowell Arts Council Association brings free piano instruction to students in public schools with crescendo! Piano in the Classroom. It was created and is led by classical composer and pianist Nathan Shirley.
Our program currently operates in two McDowell County elementary schools, providing group piano classes for all third, fourth, and fifth graders. We currently reach nearly 300 students. Prior to crescendo!, the vast majority of these students had no previous music education. Our first step was to give them preparatory classes, introducing them to playing rhythms and singing simple patterns while also learning the fundamentals of music notation.
Students practice fine-motor/finger control, posture/hand position, reading from the grand-staff, navigating the keyboard, improvising, playing as an ensemble, and even basic composition. At the end of the year they participate in a recital/concert for the school and their families. Most sign up to perform solos–either reading music, playing from memory, improvising, or playing an original composition–and all perform music together as an ensemble.
The Importance of Music Education
Hundreds of studies have shown direct connections between music education and cognitive development, including improved performance in academics, social intelligence, and much more. Despite this extensive data, public school music programs in the United States continue to be cutback and eliminated. In the fall of 2022, when crescendo! started, only 3 of the 8 public elementary schools in North Carolina’s McDowell County had music teachers.
Based on information available in 2023, less than half of elementary students in McDowell County read proficiently and fewer still meet the proficiency level for math. All elementary schools in McDowell County are Title I schools and 39% of students in the county are eligible for free or reduced lunch. For comparison, 24% of students in Asheville City Schools are eligible for free or reduced lunch (also a very large percentage). At Old Fort Elementary–one of the schools crescendo! operates in–43% of students are eligible for free lunch (not including those eligible for reduced lunch). At the other crescendo! school, North Cove Elementary, 61% of the students are eligible for free lunch.
According to the McDowell Schools’ information on homeless students (reported by McKinney-Vento), in 2020-’21 there were 410 homeless students identified. That’s about 7% of students in the county. If you compare that to Asheville City Schools, in 2020-’21 they identified 155 homeless students, which is 3.6% (still huge). The McKinney-Vento program defines homelessness as lacking a “fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.”
A Unique Program
Most group piano classes for kids operate after school–at music schools, churches, or community buildings–but crescendo! operates in schools, primarily during school hours. This poses many logistical challenges, but it also enables the program to reach kids whose families rely on busing and might not be able to provide transportation after school. The program also reaches kids whose families might be too busy or under too much stress to sign their kids up for after-school activities. While it would be difficult to quantify how many students wouldn’t participate otherwise, it would likely be the majority.
When crescendo! was first started, two schools without music programs were selected. One goal has been to remind schools and parents of the importance of music education, in hopes that they might be persuaded to eventually hire general music teachers since crescendo! currently starts at 3rd grade.
Sponsors & Partners
Asheville Area Piano Forum
Ben Folds | Keys for Kids
Community Foundation of WNC
E-Z Notes
McDowell Arts Council Association
North Carolina Arts Council
North Carolina Arts Foundation
North Cove Elementary School
Old Fort Elementary School
Casio Music Gear
