Music

Announcements

Welcome to Music as Ascent HSE! I am so excited to learn, grow, and make music with you this school year. Here on my Google page, you'll find summaries of and audio for our current units, notices about any upcoming homework or assessments, and info about how to contact me.

Part of our regular rhythm is celebrating the individual musical talents of our students through four annual Performance Days. Performance Day is OPTIONAL. Students are encouraged, but not required, to share things they have been working on in private lessons or independently. Please limit performance times to 3 minutes per student.

Our first Performance Days of the 2026-2027 school year will be Wednesday, October 7 and Thursday, October 8.

Questions? Need an accompaniment track played for your performance? Email me at shelby.shepard@dc.ascentcolorado.org.

Mrs. Shepard

shelby.shepard@dc.ascentcolorado.org

1st and 2nd Grade

We begin our school year with an exploration of the many instruments of the orchestra, with Benjamin Britten's "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" as our guide. Listen here!
Additionally, we will review steady beat; quarter and eighth note rhythms; and So, Mi, and La pitches.

3rd and 4th Grade

This year, one of our goals is to become more attentive and intelligent listeners. We will learn about and practice the SQUILT (Super Quiet Uninterrupted Listening Time) method of describing what we hear.
Our first piece of music to study is Rossini's "William Tell Overture." Listen here!
As we look forward to our second semester recorder study, we'll spend time this semester mastering rhythm reading and reading notes on the treble staff!

5th and 6th Grade

Our study this year will take us across the years on an exploration of various eras of music. We'll use our SQUILT listening skills as we observe how music has changed over the course of history.
We begin in the Baroque era with the "Alla Hornpipe" from Handel's Water Music. Listen here!
Ukulele study begins mid-October!

7th and 8th Grade

We have the privilege this year of broadening our horizons with an adventure into unique and unfamiliar territory. As we step outside the boundaries of typical "classical" music, we'll get a taste of Nationalism in music, non-Western music, and musical theatre!
Our journey begins with a favorite of mine: Sibelius' "Finlandia." Listen here!
Ukulele study begins mid-October!

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