A positive test run for Hinsdale-Clarendon Hills Elementary District 181 with a digital music program in its seven elementary schools means the School Board will vote March 13 on signing a five-year contract with QuaverMusic.
The district began a pilot program last fall in grades 1, 3 and 5. If approved by the board, the QuaverMusic offering will be used in grades kindergarten through fifth grades at the seven elementary schools, which serve about 2,300 students. It would begin with the 2023-24 school year.
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“The feedback from the teachers who have been using it has been very positive,” said Kathleen Robinson, assistant superintendent of Learning. “We usually review things with an adult lens, but we wanted to also make sure with this that the kids are interested, and they are very interested in using it.”
Robinson said the appeal of QuaverMusic both for students and teachers is that it provides a general understanding of music and is very interactive with different types. A digital platform has replaced textbooks in many cases, and the last time District 181 had a new textbook for music was in the 2008-09 school year, Robinson said.
“The kids are very excited to log in and use it,” she said. “There’s a lot of variety in it, including some historical piece, and students have access to it on their iPads, which means they can use it at home, too.”
If approved, the contract with QuaverMusic calls for District 181 $57,330 for the five years, which includes a multiyear discount of $5,670 over the annual cost of $12,600.
QuaverMusic is taught in more than18,000 schools worldwide, with nearly 3 million students engaged in music education, according to information from the QuaverEd, Inc., an education technology company advancing the state-of-the-art in interactive resources and software functionality.
The company was founded in 2009 and operates out of Nashville, Tennessee, with more than 180 full-time staff members.
QuaverMusic offers a variety of animated songs with interactive scores, videos on musical elements, instruments, historical eras, musical styles, and more, according to the company. Also included are Quaver musicals, choral resources, recorder and ukulele lessons, assessment quizzes, and musical games.
“This will give our elementary students a general knowledge of music they can use to decide what they might be interested in, musically, in middle school,” Robinson said.” I’m excited that all of our elementary students will have a similar experience in music that is highly interactive.” Robinson said Quaver Music is available to preview through March 13 at District 181 office, 115 W. 55th St., Clarendon Hills, in the Department of Learning office.
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.