the Crowden Letter
The Crowden School Expands to Third Grade We are delighted to offer the benefits of a Crowden School education—and a lifelong love of music and learning—to even more students. Crowden Executive and Artistic Director Doris Fukawa made the exciting announcement at this year’s annual Spring Concert: The Crowden School will launch our first third grade class in the fall of 2020.
After years of receiving consistent inter-
grade. Adding a third grade also creates a more
est in a third grade, Crowden staff and board
natural entry point from other schools, easing
began serious evaluation of the idea. We found
social transitions. Those students starting at
the expansion natural. Our successful chamber
the Crowden School in third grade will benefit
music educational model has proven a transfor-
from earlier exposure to ensemble playing with
mative experience for fourth grade students for
a peer group of other young musicians. Daily
decades. Offering a third grade allows students
immersion in shared musical activity helps
who have a strong interest in music the chance
form strong bonds among our students and
to begin that transformation earlier. Our small
families. They will develop early poise and con-
class sizes and project-based curriculum create
fidence through regular performance oppor-
an ideal environment for early musical training.
tunities, and develop discipline, perseverance,
Our low student-to-teacher ratio allows greater
responsibility, and empathy by playing together
attention on individual students and increased
with others in a group.
focus on their development as learners and musicians at the key developmental level of third
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