Dr. Jarmila Popovicova educates 5^th graders on the hydrologic cycle

On February 13, 2009, Dr. Jarmila Popovicova was honored with the opportunity to present with the Muncie Symphony Orchestra in a performance titled Watershed Music. The performance aimed to create an interactive lesson by fusing science and music.  Classical pieces such as Debussy's La Mer or Smetana's Moldau were pieced together with several short presentations in which Dr. Popovicova followed the music to take the 2,500 fifth-graders on a journey of the hydrologic cycle.

"I thought it would be a good outreach to the kids so they could find out about water and science together," explained Popovicova. "I had never done anything like this before." Indeed, the five-year Ball State University Assistant Professor is accustomed to a far different teaching environment and audience. While stepping outside of her normal lecture hall and teaching a younger crowd, Popovicova stated she was so glad to have had the opportunity.

The music often brought back memories of her childhood in her native Czechoslovakia. "It was very moving. I felt a deep connection to the music," stated Popovicova. Her experience was so rewarding that it has left her hoping that the lecture/music combo could be repeated annually or even biannually.

"It became very emotional because of my connection to Czech music, such as Smetana's Moldau, rivers such as Strauss' Blue Danube and my connection to water. I have never heard or seen anything like it before," stated Popovicova. In the future, she hopes to relate the work she performed with the orchestra into her university classes so that her students also have the opportunity to see water from a different point of view.