With the help of music, Upper Elementary School students “took a trip around the world.”
Dave Ruch, a professional musician and educator from Buffalo, visited the Upper Elementary School on February 15 to perform several songs from various world cultures. 
Ruch used an Indian tabla drum, an exotic stringed instrument from Europe, a “pocket instrument” with global roots and more as students sang along in different languages and thought about ways in which we are all similar. Ruch also talked about his own eye-opening trips to Asia and the Middle East - - allowing for authentic learning to occur.
“Music reaches all students,” Ruch said. “It’s always about connecting with people - - drawing them into the important stories and themes, presenting the history and culture behind the music, giving them opportunities to participate in the experience and sharing my excitement for the songs and the people who made them.”
Ruch says discomfort in the corporate world led to him becoming a full-time musician in 1992. Since 1995, he has been visiting schools and offering dynamic educational concerts, school assemblies and workshops aligned to state, national and Common Core Learning Standards across several disciplines, including Social Studies, English Language Arts, Languages Other Than English and The Arts. Ruch, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Business, also performs concerts for adults, researches “heritage” music and regional culture and plays in a couple of bands.
“Connecting history and culture with music is important and fun,” Ruch said. “Leaving people happy and helping them take pleasure in their learning - - that’s what it’s really all about for me.”
In addition to his school visits and global travels, Ruch was involved in an Emmy-winning PBS documentary called, “Songs to Keep,” and an award-winning website called, “W is for the Woods.”
Ruch’s performance at the Upper Elementary School was a lot of fun!