How best to deliver music education at the elementary and middle school levels has been a knotty problem for Piedmont’s school district over many years, a challenge made worse during covid when instrumental and vocal music programs were hit especially hard by school shutdowns and restrictions on musical performances.
In a first step toward grappling with the program’s current diminished state (which included the sudden departure of an elementary music instructor last spring), the Board of Education on Wednesday night approved a plan they hope will broaden elementary students’ exposure to all the performing arts. The plan calls for swapping out instrumental music for theater arts in fourth grade, and increasing the amount of time per week for both theater and instrumental music in grades four and five.
By making these changes, the district says, it will also be able to lay the groundwork for potentially adding a language class in fifth grade. Two years ago the district cut back world language offerings; the Board on Wednesday night approved adding back a full year of world language in seventh grade.
Under the approved music proposal, fourth graders will now have 60 minutes once a week in theatre arts (vs 40 minutes of music now); in fifth grade they will have 60 minutes for band or orchestra (vs 40 minutes now). The district says that fifth grade students will have the same number of hands-on instrumental music minutes in fifth grade that they currently have in fourth and fifth grade combined due to the amount of time required to transition, set up, and take apart instruments. The class size of the instrumental music groupings will also be reduced by half; two music teachers will allow for more individualized feedback.
The Performing Arts Planning Committee that developed the new arts plan included Assistant Superintendent Ariel Dolowich plus Havens fifth grade teacher Shauna Revelli, high school music administrator Jan D’Annunzio, Havens Elementary Principal Anne Dolid, Wildwood fifth grade teacher Hannah Swernoff, PUSD band director Trevor Meseroll, teacher librarian Tiffany Cothran, PHS/PMS dance instructor and musical theater director Amy Moorhead, and Havens fourth grade teacher Janine Mortan. In a memo to the Board, the team said their consensus recommendation for the fourth and fifth grade performing arts for the 2025-26 school year would be treated as a “bridge” year — and that a small group of elementary educators, including Dolowich and an elementary principal, will work to design a more permanent program for 2026-27 school year through a design process that will start in May and end next November.
School Board President Lindsay Thomasson said she was “thrilled” with the proposals, and lauded the district for their speed in developing the current plan and the collaborative process among staff. “While some students in our elementary schools have wonderful theater and performance opportunities, others have none. This gives everyone an opportunity,” she said. “I am similarly thrilled that we are bringing back seventh grade language.”
“I did not love the process, but … I am thankful that we are going to have expanded band minutes. Sometimes a bad program is worse than no program at all, and I feel like we had a program that was turning kids off from band. I am excited and thankful that we are going to have a program to be excited about,” said Trustee Max Roman.
Dropping fourth grade instrumental music dismays some parents
As word circulated last month that the district was working to change the elementary school instrumental music program, parents and students expressed their concerns about potential cuts in emails and at Board meetings this past month.
Parents who spoke at the Wednesday meeting maintained that cutting instrumental music in fourth grade shortchanged students and the overall K-12 music program.
Katherine Minor, a parent of three children at the elementary, middle, and high school, said she has been incredibly impressed with Piedmont’s instrumental program, and asked the Board to reject the proposal. “For this ‘band-aid year’ — losing a year of music is going to affect our programs in our middle and high schools. I appreciate that drama is important, but they get it in many ways,” she said citing a range of school-based and local community groups and camps available to students.
Piedmont Arts Fund head Becca Posamentier (and founder of a children’s community theater group) applauded the extra instructional time and emphasis on theater — but said it shouldn’t come at the expense of the band program. “Losing the fourth grade year means a year less of proficiency,” she said.
“This is a good start,” parent Ellen Lee said, “but under this proposal, fourth graders will get theater arts but no instrument instruction. I am wondering why we can’t have both. I realize that it’s tricky with instructional hours, teacher contracts, etc. But Wildwood was able to make this work in years past. Can some of those theater arts hours be used for an introduction to instruments, so that once they’re in fifth grade, they can hit the ground running? Can there be some sort of compromise, so that students can at least get started on their instruments?”