By HELEN ERIKSEN, Chronicle Correspondent June 7th, 2005.

Elementary to continue pilot music program

Hutsell Elementary youngsters discovered that a computer can release their creative energies allowing them to learn to play the piano.

They used a program called Soft Mozart developed by Houston resident Hellene Hiner.

Using computers and electronic keyboards, pupils in grades K-5 built musical skills during the half-year program. It will be offered a full year beginning in August.

The program had 23 pupils but can serve as many as 30, said teacher Lael Portwood.

Pupils were divided into two groups, and half attended Monday and Wednesday sessions and the other half received hourly instruction on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Soft Mozart, an interactive computer software program, encourages children to acquire music skills much like they gain fluency in language, according to Hiner, who boasts children as young as 3 can learn how to interpret sheet music using this method. The software program is structured to allow users to program virtually any song and then learn the notes.

By the end of the year, pupils were playing several pieces even though the program began only in January, Portwood said.

By connecting a keyboard with about 25 percent fewer keys than a traditional piano to a personal computer, participants learn to play piano. Color-coding the keys on the keyboard to correspond with the music notes shown on the computer monitor makes it more engaging for pupils, Hiner said.

"Children use colored pictures and flash cards to help them recognize and learn musical notes instantly," Hiner said.

Portwood believes young children can become bored with traditional teaching methods, and this program captures their attention and keeps them hooked. Because of the modern technology adept society, pupils are accustomed to using the computer as a learning tool, Portwood said.

The program is funded through a $100,000 21st Century Community Learning Center grant administered by the Harris County Department of Education.

"The grant is designed to provide opportunities for enrichment programs beyond the school day," said Keiko Davidson, the school's principal. "Schools with a significant underprivileged population can apply for these grants."

Hutsell qualified because more than 55 percent of its 850 pupils were enrolled in the free and reduced-cost lunch program.

Academic success

Hiner, who was born in the Ukraine and later moved to what is now St. Petersburg, Russia, before moving to the United States in 1993, said the program is sold over the Internet, but her main thrust is to get it into public schools.

Research shows that learning to read music and play an instrument can boost academic achievement in other areas, Hiner said.

"Sadly, in most public schools music and art are usually the first things eliminated when there are funding issues," she said.

Davidson shares Hiner's belief that instruction in fine arts is critical to a child's overall academic development. She said Hiner's revolutionary methods had a profound effect of her daughter's education. Davidson became impressed when Hiner taught her daughter, Carolyn, and was eager to try the music instruction method.

Carolyn Davidson, who just graduated third in her class at Mayde Creek High School, began piano lessons eight years ago with Hiner and has gained the mastery of one who has studied for 15 years, her mother said.

"All children should be given the opportunity for music instruction," Davidson said,

In 2002, Hiner developed and premiered the Soft Mozart piano teaching method along with partner Valeri Koukhtiev, who focused on creating the technology element of the program. It took about 25 years to fully develop and implement, Hiner said.

She doesn't see the program as a threat to the traditional way of teaching the piano but instead thinks music teachers will find it more productive.

"It's not just about being faster, it's about being thorough," Portwood said.

"Many parents don't realize there is a more affordable option for teaching the piano. In just a few months, students can play several songs." Hiner said.

She was inspired to develop Soft Mozart because of her initial failure as a music pupil. She found it difficult to understand the lessons and wound up frustrated and disinterested. It was only after her parents removed her from school that she discovered she had perfect pitch and the ability to name any chord or tone by ear.