Rushmore School Music Program

Rushmore Avenue General Music and Choral Music Program

Rushmore Avenue School offers general music classes for all grades 3 through 6th. Ms. Hauff teaches each grade level vocal music (chorus). Each grade level performs at a winter concert and a spring concert.

In General Music, each grade level focuses on different musical topics. For example, 3rd grade learns the staff for the treble clef and then uses this knowledge to help them play and perform on the recorder. The recorder also helps student transition to band in 4th grade.

Fourth grade concentrates on the grand staff and playing and performing on the xylophone as partners. The students will move up levels in terms of the xylophone music. The levels are from 1-5. After we finish the levels we then compose are own song on the xylophone.

Fifth grade learns about composition. Genre, Tempo, and Form. Then they work in groups creating a rap song that they will perform for their class. They will also learn about music history and learn about the musical time periods. Each 5th grade group picks one of the 5 musical time periods and presents to the class about their time period.

Sixth grade starts out with world drumming. Eventually they break up into small groups and perform for their class an example of a small world drumming group.

Then we concentrate on theater and musicals. The students break up into groups to create their own short musical. Usually the roles are Playbill producer, Music Director, and Narrator’s. They can also act out a few scenes from their play.

Rushmore Avenue School offers a full chorus program for all grades. Each chorus meets as a full grade level once a cycle, within the school day. Students will perform at the December Winter Concert and June Spring Concert. There are a few extra concerts that are done during the year. The annual CP Ed Foundation fund raiser: "Hick's Night", and the "Intergenerational Concert" are both performed with other grade levels at the high school. We also assemble a select chorus of 5th and 6th graders. They meet after school once a week and perform at the spring concert.

Rushmore Strings Program

Cherry Lane School offers beginning violin and ukulele classes for second graders. Lessons occur before school. String students perform at the Moving Up Day ceremony each June.

Rushmore Avenue School offers string classes, including violin and ukulele for 3rd graders. Lessons are taught once a cycle, within the school day.   Students will perform at the December Winter Concert and June Spring Concert.

Rushmore Avenue School offers a full string program for 4th graders. Violin, viola, cello and bass lessons are taught once a cycle, within the school day.   Students will perform at the December Winter Concert and June Spring Concert.

Rushmore Avenue School offers a combined orchestra program for 5th and 6th graders. Based on prior knowledge from earlier grades, students practice and perform in five part harmony.

Students in 5th and 6th grade will perform together at the December Winter Concert and June Spring Concert.

Rushmore Band Program

Rushmore Avenue School offers a full band program for 4th graders. Students get to choose an instrument that they are interested in learning to play. These include flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone horn/euphonium and various percussion instruments. Lessons are taught once a cycle, within the school day. Students will perform at the Carle Place Memorial Day Parade in May.

Rushmore Avenue School offers a combined concert band program for 5th and 6th graders. Fifth and 6th grade lessons and ensemble rehearsals build upon existing musical skills from 4th grade and further enhance practice techniques, tone production, note and rhythm reading, musicianship, rehearsal etiquette and overall team building goals. Students practice and perform full score concert band music and perform at both the winter and spring concerts.

The Rushmore Jazz Ensemble is open to students who achieve a high level of musicianship and musical proficiency and want to challenge themselves with upper level music. This group of highly talented musicians are each responsible for their own unique part. Instrumentation includes: alto sax, tenor sax, bari sax, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, bass guitar and drum set. They perform challenging music in the styles of Jazz, Fusion and Rock at our spring concert in June.