About 150 students at the Juliette Low School of the Arts in Anaheim are learning music in the elementary school’s newly opened Lang Lang Keys of Inspiration Piano Lab.
The Orange County Register featured the lab this week, describing how parents and officials got to see the lab and listen to the students play for the first time at a grand opening ceremony held Tuesday.
“Piano makes me feel like I’m in a different world,” student Isaiah Kaimachendeh told the Register. “It makes me go away from all the stress.”
According to the Register, Juliette Low School of the Arts, one of nine schools in the Magnolia School District and an accredited school of the arts for the past two years, applied for a Keys of Inspiration Grant in 2018 through the Lang Lang International Music Foundation to fund the lab.
Founded in 2008 by renowned classical pianist Lang Lang, part of the foundation’s mission is to find funding to bring music instruction to public schools with limited finances.
“For the vast majority of our students, this is their first experience playing a musical instrument,” Principal Debra Von Sprecken told the Register. “Teachers in other classes have observed students … become more engaged in learning and are more willing to take risks.”
Here are some other education news items from throughout the region for the week ending Feb. 8.
- As part of an experiment, students enrolled in the International Space Station Program at Brethren Christian School constructed a device set to launch into space in April.
- Results of a poll taken by California registered voters revealed the two most important issues related to education are reducing gun violence in schools and making college tuition more financially achievable.
- Nearly 300 students from Orange County high schools and community colleges got a chance to visit Irvine-based technology and life science companies this week during the second annual Irvine Career Discovery Day.
- Add Saddleback Valley Unified to the list of districts offering a full day of kindergarten at all district elementary schools. District leaders recently announced that all 24 elementary schools will provide the longer instructional day beginning this fall.
- The Garden Grove Unified School District, the Rancho Santiago Community College District and Santa Ana College will partner to create a new Early College High School program at Santiago High School beginning in the 2019-2020 school year.
- Only 1 in 9 children eligible for subsidized childcare and preschool programs in California were enrolled in a program that provided full-day, year-round care in 2017, according to an analysis.
- Californians overwhelmingly support Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent proposals to increase funding for all levels of education and are optimistic that he and the legislature can work together to accomplish a lot, a new poll found.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with our local education coverage by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates or following us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.