Friday, November 20, 2009
Music teacher brings harmony to classes
Priscilla Richardson is columnist The Botetourt View. You can contact her at 981-3430 or via e-mail.
Priscilla Richardson
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At Cloverdale Elementary School, the fifth-grade kids lined up with their Orff instruments, all eyes on director Mike Milam. At his word, they started on measure 13 and worked on it, over and over, until it went correctly. This was the last regular practice before the big PTA event the next night, a presentation of an old Japanese folk tale enhanced with music.
"We're doing it as a play," Milam explained, "with music borrowed from a variety of sources. I used the story in an Orff certification course I took this past summer and I loved the way it came together. Although I had to adjust the music from an adult to 5th grade level." And how did the kids react? "They love it."
The story, a fable for all times, tells of a stonecutter who lives happily until he sees a prince and wants to become one himself. After he does that, he takes on more and more powerful roles until finally he becomes the most powerful of all, a mountain. But then he feels a stonecutter chipping at his feet.
Thanks to their music teachers, Botetourt elementary students get exposed to lots of music at school, including music theory. Those who want to learn to play an Orff instrument or recorder can do so. And work in group ensembles readying seasonal performances such as the holiday show in December.
If he could bottle and sell his patience and good humor in working with children, Milam, 39, could get rich. The performing groups are playing real music and learning real skills such as keeping time, as they rise to the challenges of working together.
Milam started as an English major in college but soon realized that the call of music as a profession was "gnawing" at him. "I've been involved in church music ever since I was in college: played piano, organ, sang in choir, directed children's choir, a variety of things and loved that. Just a constant, never took a break."
After teaching music for a few years, Milam went to Tech for a music education master's degree. A job then opened in the Botetourt system. He's been here ever since.
At first, he worked with choral groups at Lord Botetourt High School in addition to teaching at Cloverdale, "I went full time as an elementary teacher at Greenfield and Cloverdale for five years, until 2005." He now spends part of his time at Troutville Elementary as well as Cloverdale.
Music teachers such as Milam not only teach their own curricula, they tie into what students are tested on. He thinks they do double duty, teaching music and art for its own sake and supporting the rest of the curriculum. Also, "the arts teach processing skills and creative thinking."
Milam doesn't stop being a teacher when he's off work. "He who sings prays twice. I always believed that. And it really hit home for me when I dropped into an Episcopal church by accident. I was ready for a change. This is how I have always tied together music and the word."
The result? He now serves as assistant music director at St. John's Episcopal Church in Roanoke. In addition to work with the children's and youth choirs, on Sunday night at 5 p.m. he teaches music to elementary schoolchildren who show up with a parent for supper and program there.
Parent or not, make sure you show up for the holiday show Milam's Cloverdale students are preparing. You'll hear medieval style music played in a make believe castle. See you there!
