“Miss Debwuh, can we play with the instwuments today?”, says
Kellan, a three year old boy in my after care program at the YMCA. Kellan may
not know how to pronounce his R’s, but he sure knows when it’s music time in
Miss Debra’s class. I am a student at Howard University, but I’m also a part
time after care teacher at the YMCA at KIPP DC. Every day, I interact with 30
three year olds who have taught me more than they are aware of. As after care teachers,
we are expected to make lesson plans with specific themes and activities for
the day. I took it upon myself to incorporate music into the after care
program, every day. Whether it be playing musical chairs or clapping to a drum
beat, my students are being exposed to some type of music every day. Some days
we march around the room while the children bang on drums and shake
tambourines. We become our own marching band. Although I am 21 years old, I
allow myself to have the imagination of a toddler, drifting away into a world
where possibilities are endless. Often
times a parent may walk in and ask how I can tolerate that much noise. I kindly
explain that it isn’t noise, it’s music.
Working with children at that age is most certainly a test
of patience. I could spend hours creating a lesson plan for the day and some
activities may never come to fruition because these little adults have their
own agenda. A perfect example was this past Valentine’s Day, February 14th,
2013. My children came into class at approximately 3:25pm. They were running
around, screaming, laughing, crawling under tables, and coloring on the tables
and eachother. Why? They had been eating cupcakes and candy all day. I only had
a few seconds to figure out how I would calm down 30 three year olds, 22 of
them being boys. I decided to play some music, Bob Marley in particular. This
was different from the usual twinkle twinkle little star, but I said, “hey…it’s
black history month, why not?”. Miraculously, the children became calm and
serene until their parents came at 6pm. I was amazed, but not surprised. I
understand the power of music. Kellan looked up at me and said, “Miss Debwuh, I
don’t know who’s singin but I like it.”
Debra Samuel
Howard University
Tau Beta Sigma-Eta Delta Chapter
