Kindergarten

Music Exploration: September-October (9 Lessons)

Kindergartners are following the curriculum “First Steps in Music” by John M. Feierabend. From the curriculum:

The First Steps in Music curriculum is designed to prepare children to become musical in three ways:

Tuneful- to have tunes in their heads and learn to coordinate their voices to sing those tunes.

Beatful- to feel the pulse of music and how that pulse is grouped in either twos or threes.

Artful- to be moved by the music in the many ways music can elicit an emotional response.

Kindergarten students are exploring music through speaking, singing, moving and listening. They are exploring their voices using silly sounds, chants, and short songs. Students have the opportunity to sing mini solos every class. The kindergartners move in response to music. Sometimes the movement is teacher-led and sometimes it is student-led. The focus is moving to show the beat and moving to show the phrasing of music.

Rhythm: November (2 lessons)

Kindergartners are learning how to read and play rhythms. They can read quarter notes (one sound per beat) and eighth notes (two sounds per beat). They use quarter notes and eighth notes to speak and play songs like Engine Engine.

Melody: November-December (2 Lessons)

Kindergartners continue to use chants, movement, and simple songs to explore their voices and elements of music like beat and phrases. They are also beginning to study melodic direction using the song “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” Students get to compose “movements” for the spider (like getting higher or lower by hopping, tiptoeing, and sliding). The kids will play their compositions on glockenspiels.

Form: Early January and March-Early April (3 Lessons)

In the form unit, kindergartners will explore music with different sections and parts. They will sing and dance “Wind Up the Apple Tree” a song with two very different sections. The movement of the dance will help students understand how the music is organized. They also will sing “Two Little Apples,” and see some of the rhythms of the song written down: eighth note pairs and quarter notes (ti-ti’s and tah’s). They will play those rhythms on their bodies and on small percussion instruments. The kindergarteners will begin to understand how individual instruments contribute to the sound of an ensemble.

Concert: January-March (8 Lessons)

Theme: Insects

The kindergarten grade concert is on Thursday, March 13 at 6:00 pm. At the concert, the kindergarteners will sing songs that feature insects. The students will work on good vocal production, good performance practices, listening and blending. After the concert, the students will have one more day to reflect on their performance and celebrate their hard work.

Timbre: April-Early May (4 Lessons)

Kindergartners continue to use chants, movement, and simple songs to explore their voices and elements of music such as beat, tempo, phrasing, and dynamics. They are also exploring different instrument sounds during the texture unit. The kindergartners are learning how music can enhance a story by adding instruments and singing to the book Mortimer by Robert Munsch.

Harmony: May (2 Lessons)

Kindergarten students are learning how to write rhythms using Popsicle sticks and markers. They are also experiencing harmony by playing songs on Boomwhackers. The students will understand that harmony occurs when different pitches are played at the same time. They will know when to play and when to wait based on the pitch they holding.