Dalton Public Schools recently issued the following announcement.
March is dedicated as National Music in our Schools Month. Students at Roan Elementary celebrated the month with a series of lively music class performances each day under the direction of music teacher Clay Fissel.
When he isn’t coming up with new songs for students and teachers, Fissel is championing the importance of music education in and out of the classroom.
“When these kids come in here, we jump into their creative worlds,” Fissel said. “At the end of the day, that is going to be the thing these kids remember.”
Fissel creates intentional lessons that blend multiple subjects into one. During their music classes, Roan students are found learning math, history, literature, movement and a variety of languages.
Fissel came to Dalton Public Schools in August from Grace Baptist Academy in Chattanooga. In his second year of teaching, his campus was devastated by a tornado, forcing classes to be moved into church buildings.
“It forced me to rethink how I teach some things, and it really informed how I teach now,” Fissel said. “If I didn’t have to navigate that year, I don’t think I would have been able to give our kids as much as I do now. We sing. We dance. We move, and we play in every class.”
According to Fissel, the administration at Roan has encouraged him to dream big with the music program and has provided funding for several instruments.
“We have some of the most amazing stuff going on in our classrooms on a consistent basis,” Fissel said. “We have the most amazing principals here. They support your ideas and make you feel valued.”
Fissel collaborated with several other teachers at Roan to produce a musical entitled, “Go Fish!” The show is set to take the stage in April.
Each part of the musical was designed to teach students something new, including making props and backdrops out of recycled products. Fissel said they are using this opportunity to teach students about conservation of the ocean.
Fissel believes music has the unique ability to help students make connections with the world around them, and the past few years have set many students back in their musical education journey.
“COVID robbed us of a lot,” Fissel said. “We weren’t even allowed to sing at this school until December, so I’ve spent the past few months trying to teach my kids to be okay with singing again. When you’ve been told you can’t do something for so long, that changes the way you feel about it. We’re still redeeming that in our music classrooms here.”
Fissel is keen on creating meaningful experiences for his students. He places an emphasis on improvisation and inclusion throughout each lesson.
“I want them to be comfortable with improvising,” Fissel said. “If you don’t go on to do music later in life, skills like being able to improvise and come up with creative solutions to problems are still valuable. Those are the skills I get to ingrain in my students.”
Fissel is passionate about growing the music program at Roan. Since starting in August, he has infused over 60 instruments into the classroom.
“I invested the money to fix up some of the instruments so I could put them in the hands of our kids,” Fissel said. “In light of COVID and in light of not having a lot, they hadn’t had much instrumental music education at Roan. Now, the kids love coming to music class.”
In addition to school investment and his personal collection, their classroom has received instruments from community partners and friends. He believes students can have meaningful musical experiences when communities, teachers and schools choose to invest in their music programs.
“It’s incredible what these kids can do when they are given the opportunity to express themselves and try things out,” Fissel said.
Original source can be found here.
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