St. Tammany Parish continues to celebrate Music in Our School's Month.

Keys of a Piano

(ST. TAMMANY, LA) St. Tammany Parish celebrates the month of March as Music In Our School's Month by continuing a yearly proclamation. 

The month of March is acknowledged as the month of recognizing music in our schools nationwide. St. Tammany Parish appreciates the impact of the education that music and art provide throughout the school system. Roslyn Hanson introduced the idea of appreciating March in respect of the arts to the board which passed unanimously on March 7. The concept aims to acknowledge and raise awareness of the impact music and art education has on the student’s academic, personal, and professional development. The exposure to the media arts serves as a guide for students to understand themselves and the world by providing a deeper learning engagement. 

Hanson, 61, represents district two and has been on the school board for two years, but has been a member for 28. She used to be the supervisor for curriculum and instruction for the district, a history teacher and a principal for Covington High. A reason she introduced the notion was because the board knows how important the arts and the district are to her.

“I supported it because it is near and dear to me. I recognize that we often understand the importance of science, technology, engineering and math. There’s a movement known as STEAM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, art, and math. There are a lot of sciences and mathematical components in art and artists recognize that. If you look at true artists whether it is music or visual arts or dramatic arts, there is science and math in it,” said Hanson. 

Hanson added another reason she supported the notion was her son is a composer and currently teaches talented theater for the district. She said there’s a lot of math and science involved in creating good music and art. 

“I supported the notion because the arts bring all other disciplines together. Whether through dance, theater or music the instructors perform. They all take in what is currently going on in our culture and reflect it. So, the arts to me is an opportunity for people to really understand others. Whether it's others from within the same culture or different cultures, it all represents the time period in which people lived. It reflects how people felt, how people saw things and to me, art is what encompasses all the other disciplines,” said Hanson.  

As a former supervisor, principal, teacher, parent and a strong supporter of the arts, she saw the benefits and impacts the arts made on students.

“I saw how the students were inspired and they were given opportunities in the arts program as a principal. As a former supervisor of curriculum and instruction, I oversaw the fine arts programs. I hired music teachers and art teachers, my emphasis at the time was to hire people who had a passion for the arts and were able to teach the kids in a true arts curriculum,” said Hanson. 

Hanson said that sometimes there are students who can learn science, math and history through art because there’s so much that’s connected. She feels it’s important for St. Tammany as a school district to continue to support arts education at an early age because that’s how kids connect. It’s because of their internal passions and how other kids learn about other cultures.

“We have great art teachers, they teach students art history, what movement is and what was happening culturally. It was all connected to a disciplined arts-based connection. I think it’s important because the humanities are what pulls it all together,” Hanson said.

She added, as a former history teacher she used to bring in music from the time period to help her teach lessons. The art the music contained served as a reflection of what was going on during that time in society. 

“Some kids have really good art teachers who can help them understand the visual arts that we see as a reflection of what's going on because it's a different type of statement. If you can better understand that aspect, you can understand why it made an impact on society. You can read about the history and economics of that time but to see how the artists were responding to their time, those are real reactions. That’s what gives art continuity, the artists of that time, have a talent and ability to make those connections for the students. It's important because the students learn about the science, math and history involved with the music, but the arts are what humanizes all the other disciplines,” Hanson said.

Raymond Morris, 41, has been the supervisor of curriculum and instruction for the past three years. He supports educating students about art and music because they help provide a well-rounded education for all the students. 

“We offer music and band to all K-12 students. Music and art allow our students to become engaged in the learning process. Our programs are focused on boosting student confidence and promoting a community atmosphere in all of our schools,” Morris said.

Hanson added as former principal, she hopes as the students graduate they’re able to appreciate the discipline the arts have to offer.

“I hope the students understand that the arts are just as integral a part of their education as the other core subjects. The arts are a cumulation of those disciplines and the arts give humanity to those disciplines,” Hanson said. 

For any further questions about the March’s recognition or the distribution of the arts in St. Tammany, please contact raymond.morris@stpsb.org . 

        -30-