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Teaching & Learning Center Best Practices Spotlight: Anna Mertz
Feb 3, 2014 9:14 AM
By Angie (Nix) Hester - FF/S
A visit to Anna Mertz’s classroom is both enjoyable and educational. The room is filled with the melodious tones of musical instruments and children’s voices. She directs the cacophony of sound and energy like a well-trained maestro conducts a symphonic orchestra.
Ms. Mertz teaches basic musical concepts through games and fun activities. In a lesson this past fall, young children were learning to play basic rhythms on percussion instruments. A group of students sang a song about a Yeti while their classmates provided rhythmic accompaniment.
To help students learn the various rhythm patterns, Ms. Mertz had students recite a phrase or word associated with the song. For one instrument, the student said the word, “Sasquatch” as she played her part. Reciting the word and striking the instrument for each syllable is an excellent strategy for teaching beginning music theory. Ms. Mertz encouraged students to move around the room, swapping instruments and moving in and out of the choral group. She showered the students with phrase and positive reinforcement. She was very positive and gentle whenever she had to correct students’ mistakes.
During another more recent lesson, Ms. Mertz used a mnemonic device to help the students remember names of the notes on the treble and bass clefs. Students practiced the new skill by playing a beanbag game. Two teams competed by tossing a beanbag onto a carpet marked with the musical staff and clefs. The first team to name the line or space where the beanbag landed earned a point. It was a fast-paced, exciting way for students to learn a foundational musical skill.
Not only does Ms. Mertz provide outstanding instruction in the classroom, she also demonstrates her skill as a professional in performance settings. This Christmas, the fine arts department showcased all students in ELA-8 in a holiday festival. Ms. Mertz stood in the center of hundreds of children moving between strings, band and chorus performances. She quietly and assuredly directed every step of every child. Her calm presence, clear instructions, precisely organized plan and enthusiasm for the arts were an inspiration to all who attended.
Ms. Mertz teaches basic musical concepts through games and fun activities. In a lesson this past fall, young children were learning to play basic rhythms on percussion instruments. A group of students sang a song about a Yeti while their classmates provided rhythmic accompaniment.
To help students learn the various rhythm patterns, Ms. Mertz had students recite a phrase or word associated with the song. For one instrument, the student said the word, “Sasquatch” as she played her part. Reciting the word and striking the instrument for each syllable is an excellent strategy for teaching beginning music theory. Ms. Mertz encouraged students to move around the room, swapping instruments and moving in and out of the choral group. She showered the students with phrase and positive reinforcement. She was very positive and gentle whenever she had to correct students’ mistakes.
During another more recent lesson, Ms. Mertz used a mnemonic device to help the students remember names of the notes on the treble and bass clefs. Students practiced the new skill by playing a beanbag game. Two teams competed by tossing a beanbag onto a carpet marked with the musical staff and clefs. The first team to name the line or space where the beanbag landed earned a point. It was a fast-paced, exciting way for students to learn a foundational musical skill.
Not only does Ms. Mertz provide outstanding instruction in the classroom, she also demonstrates her skill as a professional in performance settings. This Christmas, the fine arts department showcased all students in ELA-8 in a holiday festival. Ms. Mertz stood in the center of hundreds of children moving between strings, band and chorus performances. She quietly and assuredly directed every step of every child. Her calm presence, clear instructions, precisely organized plan and enthusiasm for the arts were an inspiration to all who attended.
