The Montessori Center of South Dayton

Montessori Center of
South Dayton

Unfortunately, after 23 years of teaching at MCSD, the new owners decided to do the music program 'in-house', and Jim McCutcheon is no longer on the staff. This was a business decision on the part of the new owners, and had nothing to do with Jim's availability as was told to the students.

Jim's music teaching at MCSD
was featured on the cover
of Family Life Magazine, 1999

Jim McCutcheon, M.M.Ed, was the music specialist at this school 1984-2008. One day each week, he visited each class in the school, using his guitars and other instruments to teach the fundamentals of music through movement, games, singing and dance.

The 3-6 year-old classes sang lots of fun songs, like "Circle Time," "I'm Allright," "Sandwiches" and "Wakin' Up," as well as learning rhythmic reading, echo singing and enjoying Mr. Monkey and Mama Monkey's company in music class. We actively used many new Orff instruments purchased for the school in 2003, as well as a wide variety of percussion instruments.

Each child in the 6-9 year-old class did folk dancing, learned a 13+-song repertoire which they took to a nursing home for a concert each spring, listened to the music of J. S. Bach, Beethoven and other great composers, and learned how to play favorite songs on the pennywhistle. We also sang and played ukuleles on excellent instruments which the school purchased for each student to use.

Jim's CDs are available at www.store.mccutcheon.biz.