Every school morning in March, the halls of the Brown School have been filled with live music welcoming students to school. It’s part of “Celebrate Music in Our Schools Month.”
“It feels really good to walk in and hear the music,” said second-grader Lila Bennett as she listened to the Marblehead High School a cappella group The Jewel Tones performing on March 23. “Music is the most important thing to me because it tells a story.”
“If I’m in a bad mood in the morning, this calms me down and makes me happy,” added Avery Wilkins, also in second grade.
Brown School music teacher Eileen D’Amour has brought in more than 20 musical acts throughout the month.
“We’ve hosted current students, former students, our own teachers, retired teachers and different members of our Marblehead community — just to name a few,” she said. “I even got to introduce my own father on the trombone, who was my inspiration to become a music teacher.”
On March 23, nine members of The Jewel Tones serenaded students with hits like Simon & Garfunkel’s “Cecilia” and the 1980s hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. Students sat on the lobby floor, on the stairs and even peeked from the second-floor balcony for the 20-minute performance.
“There are a lot of songs that I know,” said third-grader Mac Minshall who stood rapt listening to the group. “It’s cool. The music makes me happy.”
D’Amour said the program has been a big hit.
“I can safely say that a lot of joy has been spread through the Brown School community this month,” she said. “Our students are listening, singing along and even dancing their way into their school day. It brightens each day. We get energized.”
Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist who has written hundreds of stories for local newspapers, including the Marblehead Reporter. She also works as a PR specialist.