Music K-3 Home
Welcome to the K-3 music web page! Each student comes to
music class three times a week for a 30 minute period. Two of these
classes are utilized to teach the fundamentals of music appreciation,
pitch identification and theory. Also introduced are basic rhythmic
structures which are reinforced through movement, folk dances and
instrumental accompaniments. The third class is a mass glee club
chorus where an entire grade level comes together to learn the importance
of choral blending, build repertoire and practice appropriate performance etiquette. Each grade level has the
opportunity to perform several times throughout the school year.
These major presentations include an all school Halloween assembly, an all
school Thanksgiving assembly, a winter holiday concert, a
grandparent's/special friends day concert and a spring musical production.
Students are also invited to perform at the Festival of the Arts Open
House special school assemblies. In the classroom, students who play instruments
are given the opportunity to perform for their classmates in a warm and
inviting atmosphere.
Methodology
- The Kodaly method is strongly emphasized through the
initial years of music class. This pedagogy is extremely helpful in
that it utilizes the Curwen hand signs along with solfege syllables
to provide both an oral and visual cue for pitch duplication.
- The Orff-Schulwerk approach is used when teaching music
and movement. It weaves together the strands of speech and poetry, movement
and dance, drama and song, improvisation and playing musical instruments.
Orff-Schulwerk begins with what is native to the child: playground chants
and clapping games, folk songs and dances, nursery rhymes. Direct experience
with sound and movement precedes theoretical study. This methodology
also embraces the music and dance of cultures around the world. Artistic traditions are valued, and are taught not as static artifacts but as
fresh expressions of human creativity.
Specific Goals
- Arouse the children's interest and help them become receptive
to music
- Help the child sing spontaneously
- Express his feeling for rhythm through bodily movement
and creative activity
- Develop an awareness of the aesthetic aspects of music
in other cultures
- Develop rhythmic and improvisational skills through movement
- Develop beauty and clarity of tone through singing
- Develop listening skills through media, recordings and
instrumental playing
- Develop poise and musical discipline through performance
- Develop music theory and reading readiness
- Establish and maintain a large and versatile repertoire
of songs
The repertoire consists of songs from the folk,
musical theatre, classical
and multi cultural genres. Canons and rounds provide the initial groundwork
for more advanced harmony in the second and third grades.
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