Music

The music program provides a basic framework for students to have the tools, confidence, and desire to become active music makers, rather than simply consumers of music. Through listening, singing, moving, and playing instruments, each student works toward achieving and maintaining basic music competence, or the ability to sing in tune and move to the beat of a piece of music. In addition to the applied side of musical studies, students are also exposed to the more academic side of music including music history, ethnomusicology, and theory and notation. Students are encouraged to think critically about the music to which they listen, study and perform.

While the voice and body serve as our primary vehicles for experiencing music, students also have an opportunity to use a variety of instruments throughout the year. The classroom is equipped with a variety of
Orff and percussion instruments. Additionally, each student is required to care for his or her own recorder and have it available for practice during selected class periods.

Our musical studies at every grade level also promote positive group interactions and individual responsibility, as we stress the importance of each individual as a contributing member of the collective whole. Students in
4th-6th grades have a chance to practice these skills in chorus and other ensemble situations in class and school performances. Our music classes also attempt to be as inter-disciplinary as possible by integrating topics with school-wide themes and learning being done in other classes.  Lastly, it is hoped that through class activities, each student has an opportunity to capitalize on their individual creativity and learn to recognize
music as a medium for self-expression.

Music Curriculum (PDF Document)

In the Music Room

5th Grade: Rondo #31 in C major by Orff/Keetman
Complete performance in rondo form (A B A C A D A) by the 6th grade. Listen.

4th Grade: The “Coca Cola Song” (Example 12 from Erstes Spiel am Xylophone by Gunild Keetman)
This clear example of A A B A’ form retains the same accompaniment throughout. Students learned the song by rote using various brands of soft drinks. The students also created an original contrasting section, generating their own list of soft drinks. Listen.

3rd Grade: Hey, Ho for Halloween (dramatized speech piece)
The students explored this poem using inflective speech, movement and drama. Once the whole poem was memorized, the classes created a performance plan. The contrasting speech parts are woven into the larger poem and the students learned about balance, contrast, vocal timbre, movement and dynamics through this performance. Listen.

2nd Grade: Witch’s Brew
This song in d minor inspired the students to think of spooky ingredients that a witch might put into a cauldron. The students generated a list of ingredients and created a word chain that was later transferred to unpitched percussion instruments. The simple accompaniment reinforced their study of half notes; the students were asked to pick instruments whose sounds lasted for 2 full beats (metallophones, with their metal bars, ring longer than the xylophones, with their wood bars).
Tr. Katherine's Class
Mary Scattergood's Class