Their story, yours and mine—it’s what we all carry with us on this trip we take, and we owe it to each other to respect our stories and learn from them.
– William Carlos Williams

Why do we need the arts in education? What do the arts do for us?

This week we had occasion to enjoy a visiting percussion artist, Tony Vacca. His “job” as our artist in residence was to introduce percussion to our students, giving them an opportunity to play and explore the many instruments he shared. What he did was much more. He created enthusiasm and energy about this art form.

He let children and adults explore the instruments, and have the joyful experience of playing them and learning the stories behind the music. Stories connect us. They help us learn about the diverse world in which we live. This week we experienced stories through instruments and music. We heard Tony Vacca as he told us the arts—adornment and music—preceded language and numeracy. As we further our arts initiative at Wilmington Montessori School the stories we share will be many.

“It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story.”
– Native American saying

Let the story go on.