With the help of music, fourth grade students at the Upper Elementary School learned more about the Iroquois Nation.
Dave Ruch, a professional musician and educator from Buffalo, performed for the fourth grade class at the Upper Elementary School on December 2. After a brief historical overview of the Iroquois Nation, Ruch taught students a few words in Iroquoian. He and students then used those words to sing some traditional Iroquois songs. Ruch also played replicas of instruments used by the Iroquois, which some lucky students were able to try. 
Ruch’s performance complemented the New York State Common Core Learning Standards for Social Studies, or many of the concepts students already spent time learning about.
“Music reaches all students,” Ruch said. “It’s always about connecting with people and 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 was organized by School Librarian Mrs. Livermore.
“Our students always enjoy Dave’s performances,” Mrs. Livermore said. “He has a unique way of grabbing the attention of every student, and through his music, is able to reinforce important concepts and themes in a fun way.”
To view more photos from Dave Ruch’s visit, click here.