DALN Header
MUSIC

[Click here to view the DALN entry and download the full narrative]

Volunteering

Teaching

Music

Motivation

Community

Acknowledgements

List of Works Cited

 

Caprica Washington

Caprica Washington's narrative offered a unique, and rather entertaining, perspective towards education. Ms. Washington is a teacher at heart, but her teaching encompasses a field that many tend to leave behind; the power music plays in education. She says it best, by using music, "you begin to teach and you begin to use your hands and you begin to show them in the word." Showing them; this is the step that Washington takes beyond just teaching.

Although the beginning of the narrative seemed generic and almost forced, the description of her early influence with literacy in the church -the combination of teaching, hand movements, and singing- took her education to "another level." This early taste of musical incorporation, along with help from her grandfather, defined her talent and set the foundation for her interpretation on teaching, using the choir. Just the mere mention of the choir brightened the room with her smile, a clear turning point (Selfe) in the narrative that proves her deep rooted relationship and belief in the concept. For Washington, the choir is the perfect setting to introduce biblical literacy because as she describes it, "people follow the music." The students grasp a love for the songs and later realize that the hymnals are originally from the Bible. She explains the phenomenon of children coming to this realization with great enthusiasm, explaining how the students "bubble-up", a process that proves her approach on education is successful. Washington thus achieves a deeper sense of learning, a form that clearly illustrates the lessons beyond teaching by traditional methods. By using music to connect words to song, Washington proves that education can be innovative and creative with a musical aid.


<< Previous
Next >>