New Hope Academy Music Program

Kindergarten – 2nd Grade

The focus of our Kindergarten – 2nd Grade music classes is to build a foundation of musical concepts with the goal of preparing each student for our 3rd – 8th Grade instrumental program.  Through song, movement and playing pitched and unpitched instruments, students will learn about vocal tone color, dynamics, steady beat, long/short sounds, high/low sounds, rhythms, tempo, musical form, solfege, meter, upbeats, downbeats, staccato, legato, marcato, major versus minor keys and reading music.  Students will have the opportunity to share what they have learned by performing in our annual Winter Performance, Music Department Performance and other school performance opportunities.

3rd – 8th Grade

Our 3rd – 8th Grade music classes have the opportunity to apply the musical concepts they learned in Kindergarten – 2nd Grade to learn how to play instruments in each of the musical instrument families.

3rd and 4th Grade – Recorder

5th Grade – Ukulele

6h Grade – Piano

7th Grade – Acoustic Guitar

8th Grade – Piano

Students will learn the above musical instruments for the entire school year, and have the opportunity to share what they have learned by performing in our annual Winter Performance, Music Department Performance and other school performance opportunities.

8th – 12th Grade Audio/Video Composition Elective

Students will learn how to use GarageBand and/or iMovie to create their own compositions. They will also explore fully utilizing an electric keyboard to create their own music with rhythms, sound effects, and instrument sounds.  If students already know how to play another instrument, they can collaborate with other students in the class to create music.  Students will learn how to create music for movies, and how the music drives the plot of the movie and brings out emotions and reactions in the audience.  Students will collaborate with the other classes to create music to complement their art.