Instead of trying hard not to fall asleep and to remember as much as they can while the teacher reads from a presentation on Mesopotamia, students in Michelle DeSilva’s world history class are eager to learn and remember the material through the art of music.

“Mrs. DeSilva’s class is so much fun and interactive, which makes it really easy to pay attention,” Teddi Life, sixth grade vocal major said. “Her class is what pushes me through the day, because I know that her class will be fun and I look forward to it.”

Students in this class had to create and memorize a dance to a song based on the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia. This song has been performed for years by DeSilva’s students.

“I was inspired to do songs with my students because they are a fun and easy way to learn new material. It gives the students an opportunity to be active and have fun while learning,” DeSilva said.

The Mesopotamia song teaches students about the earliest civilizations, why they chose to settle in river valleys. This song teaches students about other things as well, such as gaining confidence in speaking and performing in front of their peers, team building skills, cooperation, collaboration, compromising with their peers and having fun while learning.

“Practicing and performing this song does not only thoroughly teach us the material, but it also helps us work on teamwork and collaboration. In order to earn a good grade on this assignment, we have to communicate with each other and give feedback to each other,” Penelope Perez, sixth grade visual major said.

After performing this song, students are more comfortable with speaking in front of their peers and with the Mesopotamia material.

Graham Sober, sixth grade strings major said, “Performing this song was a different experience. I was able to thoroughly understand the material, and I am way more comfortable with talking to my classmates.”