The purpose of elementary music is for each student to become an independent musician who is able to perform, compose, and truly enjoy a variety of musical styles. My goal is to find some part of music that each student enjoys and allow them to feel successful and competent in music so that they carry this with them throughout life.
Music is about much more than simply reading and writing notes. Though it is important to learn these things (and my goal is that by 5th grade, every student is competent in reading and writing music), your student will also have the opportunity to develop community, self-confidence, relationships, teamwork skills, and kindness in their music class. My goal is to not only provide musical literacy, but to develop each student as a whole human being.
The students will experience music learning through playing and exploring musical elements together. We will sing, dance, play a variety of instruments (including drums, keyboards, and xylophones), read, and write music in a variety of settings.
Song Choices
One of the most important parts of a music curriculum is choosing the songs. The students at Blue Earth Elementary will be sure to get a wide variety of song choices. We will be singing historically accurate folk songs from all over the United States and the world. This will include songs from Minnesota, Kentucky, African-American songs, Ghana, China, and many more. The folk songs would be the basis of the teaching in the music room.
On top of learning traditional songs, I am also sure to include a variety of songs that they hear in their normal lives. WIth these, we learn how to listen intelligently to music and we might even create our own rap song!
We will also be listening to many classical masterworks by traditional and contemporary composers.
Activities
Active Songs: These are songs that have games with them. We play chase, hand clapping, mystery, and guessing games as we sing these songs. There are also many folk songs that have dances that we learn, such as a traditional "reel."
Reading/Writing: We will learn how to read and write musical elements using manipulatives, group work, individual worksheets, and full class activities.
Composition: Each student will write several of their own compositions throughout the year!
Improvisation: In many of the songs that we sing or play, there are times when the students will be able to make up a portion of the song on their own.
Instrument playing: We will be using a variety of percussion instruments throughout the year, including African drums. The students will also have many opportunities to play xylophones (Orff instruments).