Music at Grove Park & Northside Preschools

Each week the children, enrolled in the DPS Preschool program, receive a thirty-minute music lesson. Throughout the school year, the children participate in activities centered around music. The children sing, move to music, listen to music, play musical instruments (orff xylophones/metallophones, drums, rhythm instruments, etc) and learn about musical concepts (steady beat, high/low sounds, loud/soft sounds, etc). The musical activities frequently tie in content of other academic disciplines (reading, science, math, history) to reinforce concepts the children are learning with their other teachers. It is the goal of the Preschool Music Program to educate children about our musical world in a safe, enjoyable environment where everyone is accepted and encouraged to contribute. 

Music Classrooms

The music classrooms at Grove Park and Northside Preschools are child-friendly and welcoming. They both have ample room for children to be able to move freely while dancing. The rooms are filled with various melodic (Orff Xylophones and Metallophones) and rhythmic instruments (drums, shakers, etc) which the children play while singing songs and accompanying stories. The piano (keyboard) is used to accompany songs, and the interactive board is utilized to engage the children through sight and sound.

Biography

H. Grant Poole teaches preschool music for Danville Public Schools in Danville, VA. A native of Western Pennsylvania, Mr. Poole graduated with a Bachelors of Music in Music Education from Grove City College in Grove City, PA, and earned a Masters of Music in Music Education from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. He completed Levels I & II Orff Schulwerk Certification at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. Poole has written articles, published in General Music Today, on successful practices in the early childhood music classroom. He presented at the 2021 Early Childhood Music and Movement Association International Convention, and has presented at the North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia state Music Educator Conferences and other regional workshops. As a member of the Virginia Music Educators Association, Mr. Poole has served on the Advocacy and Government Relations Committee to promote the benefits of quality music instruction. 

Mr. Poole's Early Childhood Publications

Poole, H. G. (2016). Rainstorm Activities for Early Childhood Music Lessons Inspired by Teachable Moments. General Music Today, 30(1), 11-15. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1048371316638129 

Poole, H. G. (2018). Repurposing Principles and Successful Pedagogical Techniques from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for the Early Childhood Music Classroom. General Music Today, 31(2), 5-11. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1048371317705162