LAPLACE — Chiho Okuizumi Feindler remembers a recent trip to St. John the Baptist Parish Public Schools that inspired her.

Feindler, the director of grantees and compliance for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, oversees the national initiative’s effort to restore music education in America’s public schools.

She has a partner in St. John Parish.

“I was able to visit when they were just starting the band program and see close to 40 kids playing instruments so beautifully,” Feindler said. “More students are interested now. Before, students had never even seen a trumpet, let alone hold one.

“Now, they’re carrying those instruments in and out of school and having the pride that comes with it.”

Feindler said local teachers tell her some music students previously struggled with  academics but today use the instruments as motivation to come to school and stay on task.

LaPlace Elementary School students are the latest winners in the growing partnership between St. John Public Schools and VH1 Save The Music. The school is receiving a piano grant valued at $10,000 of instruments, including a Casio Grand Hybrid piano and three keyboards to support music, drama and community programs.

LaPlace Elementary School was awarded the grant through the Keys + Kids competitive grant program, which named 18 school winners across the United States. LaPlace Elementary was the only Louisiana school to secure the award.

St. John Schools Superintendent Kevin George said the administration and School Board believe in educating all children beyond just the core subjects by exposing students to a complete music education.

It’s an effort that started three years ago.

Expanding effort

The news was good in 2013 when VH1’s Save the Music Foundation provided funds to stock a music and band program at Emily C. Watkins Elementary.

The positive news continued in 2015 as VH1 and Toyota teamed to fund a similar program at LaPlace Elementary School.

The effort continues during the 2016-17 academic year as music programs will be implemented at John L. Ory Communications Magnet School, West St. John Elementary School and Garyville-Mt. Airy Math and Science Magnet School.

The School District’s three remaining public schools will begin music programs for the 2017-18 academic year.

District leaders said the new programs join with existing programs at the public high schools to offer local students a complete music educational experience, which could open their minds to additional career choices or simply enrich their lives through a more complete learning experience.

Supporters of the arts have long pointed to research that has found learning music facilitates learning other subjects and enhances skills students inevitably use in other areas.

VH1 Save The Music Foundation representatives will make a trip to St. John Parish next month to work with teachers in advance of the new school year starting in August.

Foundation representatives are also scheduled to update School Board members on the joint project in September.

Before receiving a grant in 2013, Emily C. Watkins Elementary School didn’t have much of a music program, but three years later music classes and band have flourished.

Howard Gauley taught music to kindergarten through fifth grade students and also band for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students this school year. He started at the same time the school received its grant from VH1 Save the Music.

“The grant was used to buy instruments to fill out a beginning band program,” Gauley told L’OBSERVATEUR this past school year. “We got eight flutes, 11 clarinets, three saxophones, four trombones and six trumpets. We also got a bass drum, snare drum and a bell set. The VH1 grant didn’t just gave us instruments, they really gave the whole school music.”