Third Street Partners
Third Street Partners is a leader in community arts education, having provided music instruction in NYC public schools for over 50 years.
Public School 1: The Alfred E. Smith Elementary School
View teaching artist Jialin Li working with students, age 3–4 (our youngest students served in the Third Street Partners program).
Ms. Li teaches a commonly used "zipper song" called 'Going on a Picnic' which means that each verse of the song incorporates a new lyric selected by the students. This activity focuses on child- initiated learning (as children select different items to bring on the picnic) which promotes independence, self-confidence and is the very first step towards music composition for these young learners.
Children deepened their musical skills in this lesson by incorporating two activity extensions – playing egg shakers (which helps student learn how to keep the beat) and movement (students marching to the beat in the circle also supports the fundamental music skills of keeping a steady beat as well as the development of and gross motor skills).
Ms. Li is fluent in mandarin and incorporates the use of mandarin throughout her lessons with PS 1's bilingual classes.
Interested in becoming a Third Street Partner?
From hip-hop to African Percussion, rock band and musical theater, Third Street's broad array of programs give you a myriad of options for building music into your curriculum.
