Doherty, Wood Hill, & West Middle Schools

In the middle schools, each student has music class four times per week for nine weeks.  Each class is 48 minutes long.  Music class consists of project work, with a more in depth exploration of topics.  Students are playing instruments including guitar, ukulele, and piano, singing and performing in groups or pairs. 

The music curriculum continues to embrace the philosophy of Carl Orff and Kodaly, strengthening musicianship through singing, playing instruments, and creating music.  Building on the various sounds to symbol approaches in elementary school, students begin to learn the traditional symbols that represent the sounds they are creating. They begin to compose and arrange music, working in pairs and in groups.  More classical and popular music is explored.  They reach deeper into their musical understanding through analysis of music. Students learn to relate music to other disciplines through interdisciplinary projects and the use of technology such as GarageBand and Soundtrap.