Our Students Inspire & Create

The arts have always been an important part of education at Concordia. Engagement in the arts contributes to the development of a well-rounded person. By challenging and inspiring our students, our arts programs develop our students as creators and instill in them the belief that they have something valuable to share.

Music is an integral and valued part of our community and academic program at Concordia. All middle school students experience at least one music class each year, to help contribute to their well-rounded education. High school students will take part in at least two years of art classes, although most students choose to take more.

In Concordia Music, students develop and hone their skills in individual and ensemble performance techniques, music literacy, history, and creativity, through singing, playing instruments, and a variety of other activities. We have a strong sense of community within our vocal and instrumental ensembles. The students encourage each other and work as a team to create beautiful music.

The music program for all middle school and high school classes follows standards based on the National Association for Music Education in America (NAfME), with emphasis on the 4 strands of Creating, Performing, Connecting, and Responding.

Our music students have many performance opportunities in and outside of school. During the 2018-2019 school year, Concordia joined the Association of Music in International Schools (AMIS). Our musicians traveled to Austria, China, and India to participate in these prestigious festivals. Within our school and the greater community, we have frequent formal and informal performances, as music is a gift to be shared with others!

Concordia encourages students to create, perform, respond, and connect through music. This is accomplished at the elementary level through the Orff-Schulwerk approach. With this approach, students experience and learn music through a sequence that is appropriate for their age and development. Here is an example of a typical music lesson.

First, students listen to a song or chant and discover the story within the words. This might be about a train, delicious food, or an animal. Usually, there is a game or movement that matches the words. Sometimes there are different instruments to play with the song.

After exploring the song in an interactive way, students are ready to label a music skill or concept. Writing the rhythm, reading the melody, or labeling the patterns within the music are all important music skills that are practiced during the activity. Taking time to label this skill after the game allows students to label it easily because they have explored and experienced it. It is similar to learning to talk first, and then learning to read.