When you think of music classes, you may just think about band, choir, and orchestra, all of which are ensemble classes where students train for years to perform.
What you might not be aware of is the general music classes offered at Mead High School: Live Music Composition, AP Music Theory, Intro to Music Theory, Music Production, History of Rock and Roll, Mariachi, Guitar 1&2, and Piano 1&2.
All three general music teachers, Ms. Judy, Mr. Matchey, and Ms. Young, wish that more students would sign up for Mariachi Band since they’ve never been able to fill the class.
This year’s general music classes such as Live Music Composition, Music Production, Intro to Music Theory, and Mariachi did not have a high enough number of students registered to get the course up and moving.
The assistant band director, Mr. Matchey’s, favorite lesson is Piano 1, stating, “I really like piano as a general music class because it really is accessible for everyone, and it sets them up for success if they want to continue any sort of music making afterwards.”
This class allows each student to have an electronic keyboard in front of them. They also have headphones plugged into the keyboard so people can hear themselves play, without disrupting everybody else.
Another unique part of this class is that the headphones also connect to Mr. Matchey’s keyboard, so the student can know if they are playing the song or notes correctly.
Enrolling in a general music class is an amazing decision not just to be able to graduate high school, but it is also good for your brain.
In a study done by “The New England Journal of Medicine”, there is a claim that participating in leisure activities has been associated with a lower risk of dementia. The 469 participants in the study were older than 75 years of age, and were not diagnosed with dementia at the start of the study.
The conductors of the study examined the frequency of participation in leisure activities for each subject and adjusted for age, sex, education level, cognitive status, and any preexisting chronic medical illnesses. After roughly five years, 124 of the subjects had developed dementia. These participants all had a low baseline of leisure activities, such as reading, playing board games, or playing instruments.
If you’re interested in signing up for general music classes, talk to your counselor. You can also contact the teachers: Mr. Matchey, Ms. Judy,and Ms. Young.
