Music thrives daily at PAAM. Jurupa Unified School District opened the program 3 years ago specifically to harmonize music with academics, and the campus will serve as a music magnet school not only for the district, but also for Riverside County and the Inland Southern California region. All students, from special education preschoolers to sixth graders, have opportunities to experience music theory, music appreciation and critiquing, and music performance.
All students participate vocal and instrumental music and develop piano keyboarding skills. Primary grades take part in Orff-type activities and upper grade students learn woodwinds, brass, percussion, and/or strings. Music is specifically taught by qualified teachers to every student, including all special education students such as Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Spectrum, physically challenged, and learning challenged.
Curriculum at PAAM also is guided by neuroscience, which says instruction in classical music helps students unlock portions of the brain that are accessible only through music – and which are hard to reach after age 14. Unblocking these neuropathways can help students excel in math and language arts. At Pacific Avenue Academy of Music we are building better brains through music.
