By CHRISTINE HAINES
As Mon Valley schools prepare for the fall semester, however it may be taught, a group of students in the Elizabeth Forward School District just completed a six-week summer program.
Elementary band students were offered free private lessons this summer. About 34 of them took advantage of the opportunity, attending a half-hour Zoom session for individualized instruction with elementary band director Ben Cook.
“I normally offer lessons over the summer, but with everything going on, I didn’t feel right taking money for the lessons,” he said.
Cook usually offers lessons in person, but because of the pandemic, this summer’s lessons were done using Zoom and a variety of electronic programs to help students practice between lessons.
“A lot of the kids used a program called Smart Music,” Cook said. “Up until July 1, the company offered the program for free. It’s like playing a computer game while they practiced.
“The program lets them know if they are playing the right notes or the wrong notes and if they were playing the rhythm correctly. It gets them excited about practicing on their own time.”
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