District 196 was well-represented at this year’s Minnesota Music Educators Association (MMEA) state conference. While we often focus on the achievements of high school music groups, developing musicians starts in elementary school. This year, Oak Ridge Elementary School of Leadership, Environmental and Health Sciences had two student groups perform at MMEA: first graders (Generation POUND®) and fifth-grade band. 

With specialists teaching music in all elementary schools across the district, students look forward to the opportunity to join band in fifth grade. It reflects a long-held belief in the district: When students have access to music education, the results resonate far beyond the stage.

Universal Access

“Starting band in the fifth grade is a huge asset,” said Bojan Hoover, instrumental music teacher at Oak Ridge Elementary. “It allows our students access without barriers to participate in instrumental music, and gives them a really strong foundation.”

Our commitment to access is supported by Band for All, a District 196 Foundation initiative, founded by retired Oak Ridge music teacher Angie Wyatt. It helps remove financial barriers by providing instruments and ensuring all students, regardless of income, can participate in band and benefit from the lifelong skills music education fosters.

Hoover, who has taught music at every level from elementary to high school, said the process of learning music is as important as the final performance.

“The performing arts are not just about creating a product – it’s a process. Those small victories and achievements are happening daily in classrooms around the district,” Hoover said. “Gratification isn’t always instant. But students have to be able to appreciate the journey.”

Oak Ridge Elementary has gone a step further in making music education universal. Every fifth grader signed up for band this year, and the school built a unique schedule where band is part of the school day.

“That was another barrier that was broken, because not everyone can make it to school early or stay at school late,” said Micah Boudinot, who teaches general music at Oak Ridge. “Since everyone is here, everyone can participate.”

From Music to Movement 

Boudinot is a certified Generation POUND instructor, a youth-oriented practice that fuses movement and music. POUND combines exercise, musical pedagogy, and interactive activities, helping kids to learn new ways to explore movement and embrace creativity. For example, during the 4th-grade National Fitness Day music performance, students led the audience in Generation Pound. Along with vocals and instruments, students led audience activities, sharing their love for movement and music.

“It takes a lot of work for students’ brains to recognize the patterns (in Generation POUND), and then as soon as they start connecting that pattern, the next one is easier,” Boudinot said. “They’re happy and moving. It brings out all the endorphins and is a community builder.”

Boudinot’s creative programs have sparked enthusiasm from students and families alike. Tatum, a first grader who now plays the ukulele at home, was among the first graders who demonstrated their rhythmic and musical skills at the MMEA conference.

“Micah Boudinot’s musical expertise and passion for music have made a powerful impact on my granddaughter,” said Naomi Paulsen. “Tatum had an epic experience performing at MMEA and will soon have the opportunity to perform Frog and Toad stories at Lebanon Hills Visitor Center. Kudos to Micah for the magical experiences she provides in her classroom!”

A Lifelong Journey

Programs like POUND are part of Oak Ridge’s innovative approach to music learning, where students sing and play instruments and learn to read music in traditional and non-traditional ways. 

Researchers have found that music enhances learning. Studies have shown that learning music strengthens brain development, vocabulary acquisition, symbolic understanding, sense of sequence, and auditory training.

Oak Ridge also has partnered with hip-hop artists Tall Paul and Rosemount High School alumnus Nur-D, who helped the 5th-grade students write an original rap song. These experiences teach students that performing can also include composing and arranging original music.

 

During Earth Day, students performed outside, alongside Tall Paul, who wrote and performed a custom verse for Oak Ridge to accompany their rendition of “Garden Song, embracing the magnet school’s environmental theme.”

Was it a coincidence that an eagle circled overhead during that program, just as the students sang, “Love lift us up where we belong, where the eagles cry on a mountain high” — a song of the Seven Grandfather Teachings, where the eagle represents love. 

Beyond boosting academic skills, music fosters resilience. Students learn to take feedback, persist through challenges, and celebrate their growth over time.

“Elementary students sometimes get overlooked for their achievements; we often celebrate high school students — as we should – and the amazing things they are doing,” Hoover said. “But elementary students and young students and young learners can be just as exciting and just as passionate and just as deserving of our praise and accolades.”

The success of programs like Oak Ridge’s is part of a broader focus in District 196 — our commitment to academics, arts, and athletics — to develop the whole child and embrace the arts as a vibrant part of life. 

At Oak Ridge, students also have role models in an adult band, composed of staff, parents, and grandparents, who share a lifelong love of music.

“When students see that their teachers and adults within the building are also participating in the music, it strengthens that sense of community among students, and shows students that music can be a lifelong hobby and then a lifelong endeavor,” Hoover said.

From ukuleles in first grade to full concert bands in fifth, District 196 ensures that every student can find their rhythm – and perhaps, a lifelong passion.