Forest Park music class takes percussion to new level

CRYSTAL FALLS, Mich. (WLUC) -Music classes in schools strike a different tone this academic year. In the Forest Park School District, students are back and on beat.

“It’s actually been going really well. I was really nervous for the first couple days about it,” said the Forest Park Schools band director, Ian Hansen.

Hansen knows it’s difficult to play traditional instruments while wearing a mask. So, he got creative.

“Why don’t we turn it into a giant drum set,” he said.

Each student has their own space and they get to learn different percussion instruments. Before the class is over each instrument is wiped down with sanitizer.

Hansen is a first-year teacher in Crystal Falls. He says this experience is learn as you go. So far, the plan has been working.

“A lot of them wanted to play percussion in the past few years and now they are able to,” Hansen added.

Forest Park sixth grader, Anna Bandola falls into that category.

“I feel like a release of stress, because drums are something you can play on and hit on,” said Bandola.

The class works together to make music, even trying their hand at matching sounds to songs.

“It sounds so cool to hear everybody do drums,” she said. Hansen says in the next few months he hopes to get back to the traditional instruments.

“This is not standard curriculum, I’m making it up as I go,” he explained.

For now, he is just happy the class is not virtual.

“Having kids in the building is absolutely vital,” said Hansen.

The percussionists are all in this together, symbolizing music can be made in unique ways.

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