.jpg)
First Note Day: Learning by Doing in Grade 5 Band
At ISA, we are always looking for ways to create learning spaces that give students meaningful opportunities to grow. As mentioned in an earlier article, one of our guiding beliefs is simple but powerful: we learn by doing.
This week, our Grade 5 students experienced this first-hand during First Note Day in Band. With shiny new trumpets, trombones, clarinets, saxophones, flutes, and drumsticks, the children played their very first note together—not alone, but as a full band. For many adults, learning an instrument often meant private lessons in isolation. At ISA, we take a different approach: from day one, our students step directly into the role of musicians by playing in an ensemble.
Educationalist John Holt once wrote: “We learn to do something by doing it. There is no other way.” This is exactly what First Note Day is all about. By experiencing the music together, children are not waiting until they are “good enough” to join a band; they are already band members, learning as they go.
The children in Mr. Walter’s band classes learn to perform as members of a band by performing together, as members of a band. Yes, there is time for individual practice and tutorials, but the key is that the children don’t have to wait before having the opportunity to play together. The two processes (learning to play and playing) are actually one and the same. We also apply this principle across subjects and in every grade level, whether it is in PE classes or Mathematics lessons, in which students are routinely given opportunities to act and think like athletes while developing skills, or to act and think like mathematicians while learning procedures.
This special moment also brings to life two important parts of the IB Primary Years Programme (or PYP): the Approaches to Learning (ATLs).
- Students used their communication skills to listen carefully and respond to Mr. Walter’s guidance, while learning to coordinate their sounds with others.
- They demonstrated social skills by showing patience, encouragement, and respect for their fellow musicians.
- They relied on thinking skills to problem-solve as they experimented with fingerings, embouchure, or grip.
- Their self-management skills were on full display as they concentrated, persevered and kept going even when the first notes didn’t sound exactly as expected.
- As natural inquirers, they explored their instruments with curiosity, testing how different approaches changed the sound.
At the same time, the experience reflected the qualities of the IB Learner Profile (what we refer to as our ISA Values):
- Students were risk-takers, bravely playing their very first sounds in front of peers.
- They were communicators, learning that music is not just about notes but about listening and responding to one another.
- They showed they are caring and principled by respecting the instruments and supporting classmates through the excitement (and unique sounds!) of the day.
- They began to understand what it means to be balanced, finding joy in creativity while also recognising the discipline and dedication that musicianship requires.
First Note Day was not just about playing instruments for the first time. It was about practicing the very skills and attributes that will serve our students in every area of learning. We are excited to see how these first tentative notes will grow into music—and we look forward to the children’s first concert performances in January 2026.
A note about staying well
We have had a number of children off school this week due to becoming ill. There are clearly a number of bugs going about just now, so please help us by (1) emphasising the importance of hand washing and (2) erring on the side of caution and keeping children at home when they are sick. This is particularly the case when your child has gastric upset and vomits or has diarrhoea. Thank you!
Comments
Post a Comment