MUSIC
Loma Portal is excited to announce the addition of a wonderful new music program based on
National Standards of music education to enhance the general curriculum. The program will
include general music for grades K-2, recorders in grade 3, and instrumental and choral
instruction in grade 4. Students will have the opportunity to develop expressive and
communicative musical skills and appreciation for classical and traditional music from
the world's cultures. This program will also prepare students for performing arts
classes at Dana and Correia middle schools.
 Music Teacher, Alicia McMillan
We are so lucky to have such a talented and dedicated musician and teacher on our staff!!
Ms. McMillan received her Music degree in Theory and Organ Performance at the University of
Tampa in Florida, and her Masters degree in Organ Performance at Northwestern University in
Chicago. She is currently in the process of completing her California teaching credential at
National University in music. Not only does she teach music to our children here at Loma
Portal Elementary, she is also the children's choir director and organist at Point Loma
Community Presbyterian Church.
The benefits of music education are many. Music instruction develops responsibility,
self-confidence, promotes teamwork, and enhances creative and critical thinking skills.
Music is inherently integrated with other subjects. Music is science because it is specific
and exact. A conductor's score is a chart which indicates frequencies, intensities, volume
changes, melody, and harmony with the exact control of time. Music is mathematical in
rhythms which subdivide into fractions. Music reflects historical events and times.
Music is physical education because it requires great coordination of various body parts.
Music is a foreign language with its use of symbols to represent ideas.
Music education dramatically enhances children's abstract reasoning skills
necessary for learning math and science. Research shows that students who study music
scored higher on both verbal and math portions of the SAT than non-music students
(College Entrance Examination Board as reported in Symphony, Sept-Oct 1996).
Another study discovered that music lessons in childhood actually enlarge the brain.
The area is enlarged through practice and experience. (University of Munster, Germany as
reported in Nature, April 23, 1998). A study published in the February 1997 issue of
Neurological Research indicates that music study uniquely enhances higher brain functions
required for mathematics, chess, science, and engineering.
(Found at www.edu-cyberpg.com/Music/musicsmart.html/).
The benefits of music instruction are that children are more successful in school,
in society, and in life.
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