Teachers are hot for Wii Music @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on January 13, 2009

News: Nintendo partners with educators to bring Wii Music to the classroom.

Nintendo has partnered with MENC: The National Association for Music Education to help bring Wii Music into the classroom. This partnership will add Wii Music to the curriculum at schools in 51 cities across the country.

Among the schools already using Wii Music in the classroom include San Francisco's Blue Bear School of Music, New York's Opus 118 Harlem School of Music and Doby's Mill Elementary School in Lugoff, South Carolina. Nintendo hopes that exposing students to music at a young age will lead to a lifelong appreciation of music.

Here's what some of the teachers involved had to say:

"At any grade level, it's essential to provide students with the tools and encouragement they need to be creative," said John J. Mahlmann, executive director of MENC. "We look forward to collaborating with Nintendo to drive awareness and advocacy for music education through Wii Music."

"Wii Music has brought a renewed excitement to music class for students from first grade to fifth, myself and even some of the classroom teachers," said Helen A. Krofchick, a music teacher at Doby's Mill Elementary School in Lugoff, S.C. "I love how many music standards can be covered in such a short time. Students also have to use language skills, spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination. We have a school very supportive of the arts and Wii Music has empowered our program even more. Any system that is educational and can add a love of music to children's lives should be in every classroom."