Bethel Park Elementary School 4th Grade Music Website

Monday, October 19, 2026

by Mr. Booz

Picture our fourth graders doing these musical activities:

Singing in-tune, with 2- and 3-part canons and rounds…

Reading and writing both rhythm and pitch patterns on the board and on paper…

Performing on classroom instruments, like xylophones, metallophones, glockenspiels, and hand drums…

…and doing all of this without teacher assistance. We’re just 6 weeks in the new school year, and the above is just a small sampling of the skills that our 4th grade students have been building in their music classes.

Our students learn all of the "music appreciation" concepts that all of us may remember from school - the instruments of the orchestra, composers, and musical time periods, etc. However, in Bethel Park, we place a high priority on students as musicians. Bethel Park children also learn to sing, play, read, improvise, and write music with independence, and as a part of a musical team. It’s still early in the school year, but our young musicians are off to a good start!

Thanks for reading! You can read the September blog post below to see how students are graded in general music classes, and stay tuned for our next blog post update next month.

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Monday, September 21, 2026

by Mr. Booz

Hello, families of Bethel Park students! My name is Aaron Booz, and in addition to Kindergarten general music and some band lessons, I teach all of the 4th grade general music classes in the Bethel Park School District. Each month, I will make a blog post on this page about what is new and exciting in your child’s 4th grade music classes. Here is some information for the first month of the school year:

• In music class with me, your child has gotten started learning a few songs, including our new school song, “Come Together As One”, where we celebrate the history of elementary schools in Bethel Park, leading us to the opening of our new school this year. We also started the habit of students answering questions about a piece of recorded music on a Listening Journal at the start of music class, as well as reviewing music vocabulary, the sounds made by different instruments, and how to read and write musical notation with pitches and rhythms.

• Five times per year, I will be sending home with each student an “Ask Me…” page. This will provide you the opportunity to ask your child to tell you (or demonstrate for you) something they’ve learned in music class, whether that is a song, some musical knowledge, or a little bit of music for them to perform for you. The first of these will be coming home around the end of September, and I have also linked on the “Ask Me” tab above as well.

• During this month, Mrs. Sheffer and Mr. Lang are starting the first lessons with the Fourth Grade Strings students, and Mrs. Skilone, Mr. Knell, Mr. Little, and I are starting lessons with the Fourth Grade Band. Those families can check their email to find details from us. Starting to play an instrument for the first time is exciting, and we hope that your child will continue for many years. If your child hasn’t planned to play an instrument, but would like to join us, let us know, and we’ll see what we can do to get them involved.

• The Pittsburgh Youth Chorus is an excellent local program that many of our Bethel Park students have enjoyed in the past. There are opportunities for students in grades 1 through 4, and they are having open rehearsals now, so students can attend and see if they’d like to join. No audition is necessary, you can visit some open rehearsals, and I would encourage any of our students in those grades to try it. Visit www.pittsburghyouthchorus.org, to find their How to Join page, and check out these informational flyers about their different youth choruses and special needs programs.

• Parents and guardians often wonder, "How is my student being graded in music?" I assess students’ progress in music classes in the following ways:

  • Informal evaluation: As the students sing, play instruments, and move to music, I listen and watch. Based on what I hear and see, I plan further instruction to build the musical skills of the whole group, and of specific individuals.

  • Formal evaluation: Seven to eight times each marking period, students in music class are formally assessed on their musical skills and knowledge. This includes grading on the following:

    • Finding and tapping a steady beat to a piece of music.

    • Singing, alone or in a small group.

• Correctly echoing, decoding, reading, or writing music (simple pitch or rhythm patterns), such as “do, re, mi”.

• Performing on instruments (such as xylophones, hand drums, recorders, etc) with musical accuracy, and with correct posture and hand position.

• Doing their best on Listening Journals, where students hear a recording and answer short questions.

• Short quizzes of musical knowledge, such as instruments of the orchestra, identifying different styles of music, or identifying similarities or differences in recorded music.

• Note: If you look at your child’s Schoology, the number you see is NOT representative of their work. That is just one part of what we do, and it’s graded for completion, not for right answers. You can find their correct music grades on their report card, according to Bethel Park School District’s grading levels:

  • 3 - Exceeds Expectations

  • 2 - Meets Expectations

  • 1 - Approaching Expectations

  • 0 - Does Not Meet Expectations

• Please note that a grade level of “0” or “1” in Achievement doesn’t mean that your student is doing a poor job in Music; it just means they are still working on one or more areas of musical skill. I can tell you from experience that all of our 4th graders finish the year with excellent musical fundamentals that will serve them for the rest of their lives; we just all develop skill at different rates, and as long as their Effort and Behavior grade levels are good, they are on the right track!

Thank you for reading, and please check back here each month for more information about 4th grade music class!