Holy Name of Jesus School innovative music education program immerses students in both theory and application and is taught by professional musicians. Each student learns to read music and to play a musical instrument. Students can also choose to become members of the school’s Rainbow Choir that is well-known through the L.A. Archdiocese and has been the only school to perform at Our Lady of Angels Cathedral three times.
Students K-3 begin by learning to play piano. Students grades 4-8 select drums, woodwinds or brass and students in 5th grade may select guitar for small-group instruction. Students in all grades participate in the Holy Name of Jesus School Rainbow Choir.
Music is deeply woven into the culture of Holy Name of Jesus School and is a part of every school activity. Students perform regularly including annual Christmas and Black History programs and Spring Music Concert.
Holy Name of Jesus School firmly believes that our music program contributes to the academic success and intellectual development of our students.
According to “Effects of Music Training on Brain and Cognitive Development in Under-Privileged 3- to 5-Year-Olds” (Helen Neville, Ph.D., et al University of Oregon/Dana Arts and Cognition Consortium research) low income children exposed to music on a regular basis “display gains in a number of cognitive areas, including language, pre-literacy and visual-spatial skills, numeracy” and “produce significant improvements in cognition and school performance”.
A 2008 Harvard study (Drs. Gottfried Schlaug and Ellen Winne) ” found that children who study a musical instrument for at least three years outperform children with no instrumental training—not only in tests of auditory discrimination and finger dexterity (skills honed by the study of a musical instrument), but also on tests measuring verbal ability and visual pattern completion (skills not normally associated with music).”
Holy Name of Jesus School music program is unique in offering music instruction to every child enrolled in the school.
